Capricious
by Shimmering Starlight
Summary: Princess Zelda is arrogant & snobby; peasant Link is totally opposite, polite & humble. So naturally, they hate each other. But don't opposites attract? When Ganondorf arrives and their fates clash, can they forget their differences? Full summary inside.
1. Royal Hell and An Urgent Favour

**Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda in any way. The only thing I own are the characters and plot that I have developed.**

* * *

**Title: Capricious**

**Rating: T**

**Genre: Adventure/Romance**

**Full Summary: Zelda is a rude, snobby, arrogant princess. Link is a polite, charming, and humble peasant. Initially, the two absolutely hate one another when they first meet, due to their contrasting personalities. And when a villain named Ganondorf, King of Evil, begins to make his ascension to power, Link and Zelda are forced to travel together through the land of Hyrule on a journey to find the Spiritual Stones and the Seven Sages who can use the Stones to summon the Goddesses for help. But if the two can't even stand to be in the other's presence for a minute, how can they succeed in their quest to defeat Ganondorf? Can they learn to deal with each other–maybe even be friendly towards one another? Or more?**

**Author's Note: To my readers of The Legendary War of Hyrule: I am so sorry for beginning to write this story, since that means less updates. Don't think I'm not going to continue that fanfiction; I'm going to be writing it to the end, maybe even beyond that in a sequel. I've been toying with this story idea for weeks and it wouldn't stop bugging me until I sat down and typed it out. Thank you for taking a look at this story!**

**To my new readers: thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!**

**For everyone that's reading: Okay, so obviously, this is an AU story from what I've told you so far; Zelda isn't quite a rude, snobby, arrogant princess in the games… However, this is set in the Twilight Princess version of Hyrule, and the basic quest is derived from Ocarina of Time. Elements from both storylines will be included, but the plot in my story is quite different from those in the games. There are also other things I'll be adding in, such as a King of Hyrule and other OCs. Old characters in different Zelda games will exist, so watch out for them!**

**Read this chapter, see if you like it, and tell me what you think in a review.**

* * *

In the clear sky was the moon, shining brightly above the vast Hyrule Fields that night. It cast an eerie yet beautiful glow onto everything on the fields, including a certain lone figure. Atop a brilliantly white steed, this figure rapidly rode towards the Hyrule Castle Town. A long black cloak obscured the person's form from view, and a hood and scarf prevented the face from being seen. One could guess that this person had cleverly dressed so that no one could guess whether the person was man or woman, slim or stout. But as the person urged the horse forward with a gentle kick of the heels, the uninteresting clothes began to billow wildly behind him/her, and the scarf was moved by the wind so that the person's pale face could be seen. Alas, it was a lady, and quite a fair one at that. Her midnight blue eyes pierced the landscape around her as her stallion raced forward.

As she approached the Castle Town, she eyed the grand building that was the majestic Hyrule Castle, a gleam in her eyes. Letting out a weary sigh, she pushed her scarf back into its original place to conceal her beautiful visage. She patted the horse as she dismounted. "Go off to the stables, Storm," she murmured to her noble horse, stroking his snout. The stallion observed her with intelligent dark brown eyes. "I'll come to the stables later to visit you," she smiled at him. Storm whickered softly, and as a goodbye he rubbed his snout against her cheek before trotting away towards the stables that Storm had been trained to sneak in and out of by the woman herself.

She sighed, watching her horse gallop away. She couldn't help but feel a warm feeling in her heart as she watched the graceful animal canter into the distance. She had raised Storm since he was but a foal, and her horse was one of those few that she could say she loved. Most were observed with disdain by the young woman; Storm would be worth more to her than a civilian in the Castle Town. No one could hope to match the lady's arrogance, not even the King of Hyrule, who in truth wasn't very arrogant at all.

The young lady sighed and turned away from the direction Storm had ran off. Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath, and began to walk across the lonely bridge to the East Entrance to the Castle Town. Getting past the guards without getting caught would be a chore tonight, ever since those assassination attempts became numerous.

She slipped through the creaky wooden door, looking left and right to watch for any guards with a practiced eye. Seeing none, she promptly crept forward as stealthily and silently as a cat stalking its prey would, wasting no time. Other civilians watched her gait suspiciously, wondering who this sneaking stranger could be, but the woman coldly ignored their stares. They were mere bystanders, easily manipulated sheep. Royalty could control them in any way they wished, and they would never object or question their leaders. Her presence attracted more and more audience still until a strong arm constricted hers while she was streaking past the fountain in the town square.

"Let go of me this instant," she snarled, twisted her arm away expertly, a hand already on a hilt of a sword. She was used to being grabbed like that by now, and could easily worm her way out of any grip, weak or strong. She stared at the man who had attempted to grab her so callously. Oddly enough, he wore a cloak too, one strikingly similar to hers, with the hood up so that his face was hidden by the hood's shadow. Glancing at those who were spectating uneasily, he neared the woman again, who threatened acidly while stepping away, "Don't you near me, scoundrel, or I'll report you to the authorities for harassment!"

"Zelda, put away the act," the man chuckled in amusement, stepping near and speaking in a low voice so that none would hear him. "I've come to your rescue, not harassment. And you_ are_ authority, Your Highness. Besides, you shouldn't even be here, and you're reprimanding me?Sneaking out of the castle when I'm not watching, then accusing_ me _of a crime?" He raised his hands in innocence. "I'm the innocent one here, Zelda, and you're the one breaking rules."

Immediately, her fierce demeanour dissolved away into sheepishness. "Oh, damn it all," she cursed. Then she laughed melodically at the situation. "I should've known it was you, Sheik."

Sheik was another one of the few she could say she loved and cared for, and both of them knew their friendship would never go beyond what it was now. Romance between them was strictly forbidden, both by the rules and Zelda's own boundaries. Sheik wasn't and wouldn't ever be a lover to her, but was rather an elder brother, a protective one. And he had been the personal guard of hers for five years; it would be blasphemy for them to be romantically involved. Though Sheik was a lowly servant, Zelda couldn't help but build a friendship with him, as they spent so much of their lives together. And Zelda couldn't deny that knowing one of the last Sheikah was something to be proud of. The mysterious race was slowly fading into extinction; less than five people in Hyrule could claim that they had full Sheikah blood. Sheik was one of them. "Yes, now that I look at it, I definitely should have deduced it was you. No one else here would be… _bold _enough to grab a stranger like me, the empty-headed fools that they are," she sniffed with distaste as she strode towards the Castle gates, her cloak trailing over the concrete of the Castle Town.

Sheik's face hardened as he caught up with his master. "It would do you good to lower your voice," he murmured into her ear, looking at the commoners around them who were still watching them curiously, some of them angry at the words that Zelda had spoken.

"_Well_, Sheik, not good," she scolded him playfully, a smile in her voice.

"Fine, Zelda, it would do you _well _to lower your voice," he snapped. "Great Goddesses, Zelda, are you even capable of dropping your know-it-all personality in casual conversation?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "You are to be crowned Queen of Hyrule when the time comes, and you already play a great role in politics as Princess… To be able to rule successfully, you must have the trust of your subjects. To have them trust you, you must trust them. Haven't you learned any of your lessons? They actually have some merit to them, if you haven't noticed."

"Of course I have," she defended, affronted. "I just don't see the use in gaining the trust in these useless fools. All I'll need are a few useful, loyal people like you and I'll be fine."

Sheik sighed, shaking his head. "You can't afford to have a large group of people offending you and your leadership," he warned, unfazed by her compliment. "Just don't whine at me when they kick you off your throne."

"Thanks," she muttered, her face burning with embarrassment and anger.

The two continued on to the Hyrule Castle gates, and Sheik stopped her from proceeding with a muscular arm. "We won't be able to make it past the guards ahead. There are too many for you to be comfortable when you sneak out now, after those attempts of murder on your father. And when you _do _sneak out, do so in clear conscience that the assassinations might be directed at _you_. Without me to protect you, how would you fare then?" His voice was creased with the characteristic worry of an elder brother.

"I can take care of myself, Sheik," she sighed, not willing to use the last of her energy to argue heatedly with Sheik like they had so many times. "I can wield a sword with confidence and I have unerring aim with a bow. Protecting myself is something I'm capable of, thanks."

"But what if there are too many for you to handle? Safety comes in numbers, Zelda," he told her severely, "and when you sneak out, the number is one."

The two had stopped to argue on the road that separated the Castle Town and the Hyrule Castle Gardens, where Hylian Knights constantly passed by. Zelda was sure they would get caught if they continued to talk here. "I am enjoying this argument thoroughly, sir, but if we tarry here any longer, I fear that we might be caught by the Hylian Knights," she said in a formal manner, in the way she was supposed to speak: like a princess. Although she enjoyed being at the top of the social classes, she couldn't bring herself to act or talk like a princess, though her arrogance exceeded that of a normal princess's arrogance – whatever normal was.

Sheik bowed graciously to his master. "Then we shall continue this pleasurable argument elsewhere, within the safe abode that is Hyrule Castle. Shall we?" he spoke in an elegant manner, offering her his hand. Zelda laughed and nodded, taking his hand and hurrying with him towards the secret entrance into the Castle to their right.

* * *

The young princess shook her now disgusting black cloak off, revealing her usual attire. It consisted of a white dress that reached the ground topped with a purple vest. Golden shoulder plates were worn by Zelda, as well as long white gloves reaching above her elbows. On the skirt fell a tapestry-like cloth that showed the emblems that could only mean the proud land of Hyrule. And of course, along with Hyrule's insignias came the symbol of the golden Triforce. Three triangles joined at their tips to form a larger triangle, though with a triangle-shaped hole in the middle. Zelda looked proudly at the left triangle, as she knew that that section of the Triforce belonged to her: the Triforce of Wisdom. The symbol also existed on her right hand, the Triforce of Wisdom the brightest. Looking at her vanity mirror, she adjusted her dress and properly tied her long brown locks into a braid at the ends.

"Thank the Goddesses we have these cloaks," stated Zelda to Sheik as she tossed the cloak down the laundry chute. "If we didn't, I'd be caught immediately, _and _my dress would be absolutely filthy! That is one of the worst ways into the castle, I swear to the Goddesses."

Sheik rolled his eyes. "Yes, but you shouldn't have to useit so often. If you didn't, your royal dress would be free of those sewers forever," he spoke pointedly. He proceeded to remove his own cloak and let his cloak join Zelda's. Underneath the black cloak was his typical Sheikah outfit. Sheik's head was completely concealed by a cloth wrapped about his head save for his crimson eyes and a few tresses of blonde hair, and he wore a form-fitting blue outfit. Cloth was wrapped about certain sections of his limbs, and white fabric draped down from his neck and shoulders, bearing the Sheikah emblem: the red eye with a tear below it.

"Oh, yes," Zelda cocked her head to the side. "If you'd still like to get back to that argument, I'd be happy to now."

"Not now, Zelda," he frowned. "Right now, we have some matters to deal with. Your father told me before you sneaked out that he… had to speak with you about… certain things."

Zelda's eyes narrowed with suspicion, her lips tight. "What certain things?" she asked carefully, watching his expression.

Sheik's eyes quickly became sorrowful and apologetic, and immediately Zelda knew that she would be going through hell for the next thirty minutes. The royal type of hell. _Well, _Zelda thought grimly to herself, _at least it isn't commoner hell._

"Are you ready?" Sheik asked her, ignoring her question. However, the expression in his dark red eyes was answer enough. "There isn't anything else you need to do, is there?"

"Let's just get this over with," the princess muttered, grabbing Sheik and dragging him out of the room.

* * *

"Daughter, what has taken you so long? I called for you over thirty minutes ago," the King of Hyrule said sternly as his daughter entered the room, followed by her guard. It was a large, spacious room constructed for private conferences. The walls of the room, Zelda had heard, were built so that only the shrillest, loudest scream could be heard from those outside of the room. A long rectangular table stretched across the room accompanied by chairs. The King himself was a rather proud man, though he couldn't ever bring himself to be snobby and hateful of commoners, like his daughter was. He was oddly fond of his subjects. His stout body was enfolded in luxurious crimson clothing, and the frown upon his strict face looked quite angry indeed. Her father was probably the third and last person she could say she loved. The King was a caring parent, but his duties always managed to keep the father and daughter slightly distant.

Zelda took a seat across from her father with ease as she replied, "I've had some inconveniences with some commoners in the castle," she lied smoothly. Ever since she had begun to sneak out of the castle, her skills of both lying and sneaking out had begun to increase amazingly. Perhaps she could develop her lying skills to the point of pretending that she cared for the people outside of the castle. Sheik, standing beside the princess in her chair, shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry for being so late, Father" – that was another lie – "but I couldn't get them out of my hair," she sighed, rubbing her temples.

Her father's frown eased away, and his eyes became humourous as they swivelled to Sheik, who cringed visibly. "Fear not, guard," the King spoke in a regal tone, amusement colouring his voice. "I turn my gaze to you not to rant at you, but rather applaud you. Your job is one of the most taxing in the world, yet you never cease to excel at it. Fetching my daughter when she sneaks out of the castle every time she leaves is like trying to tame a Moblin."

Sheik bowed, saying, "It's a great honour to be regarded so highly, Your Highness." At the same time, Zelda frowned, trying to channel a confused attitude, "Father, what are you talking about?"

The King turned back to his daughter, the mirth still shining in the dark blue eyes Zelda had inherited from him. "My dear Zelda, I know that you won't stand to be in the presence of the good people outside the Castle for over thirty minutes. So spare the theatrics, and let's get down to business."

"Yes then, Father, what is this business?" Zelda demanded, using anger to conceal her embarrassment.

"Would you like me to be blunt, or would you like me to drag on the telling of the news?" her father said haltingly, suddenly uneasy. Why would he be uneasy? Zelda wondered. Was it because she was angry at him, or because the news was so horrific? No, it was probably the latter; her father should have been used to the fact that Zelda was constantly holding a grudge against him.

"Surprise me," she spoke in a bored tone, her left hand holding her head, her right drumming her fingers on the table.

The King folded his hands over the table. "You see, Zelda, I believe the Gerudos have become… more power-thirsty," he began cautiously.

"Gerudos?" Zelda snorted with derision, jumping out of her boredom into anger. "Those female slatterns deserve to stay in their desert and wither in the dry sands. It's already enough that they come to the Castle Town to lure foolish, lustful men into bed with them!" Indeed, the Gerudos were known for being a solely female race, and therefore they had to find men from other races to let their race grow, namely the Hylians and Humans. Zelda found a deep hatred for the 'wenches,' as she so graciously put it.

"Zelda," her father spoke sternly. "You will not speak of any race so badly from here on out or else you will be confined in your quarters with Sheik. Three warnings you'll get, and at the last the confinement is official. Am I clear?"

The arrogant young princess only sat back in her chair in answer, arms crossed.

"As I was saying, the Gerudos are becoming more demanding," the King said sadly, speaking to his hands. "There are reports of sights of Gerudos murdering Hylians and Humans in great numbers, and this leads me to infer that they are the ones launching the assassination attempts. Though each assassin's face is covered, their fighting style is similar to that of the Gerudos, and the way they easily escaped our Knights' swords seems to resemble them also. I have every reason to believe that they are the ones behind the killers." He sighed and continued quietly, "So we sent a large group of our Knights to the Gerudo Desert, to ask them what they wanted from us. They went under a banner of peace, yet they came back being carried by the Gerudos, quite literally, to the Castle. They were all injured, bound in ropes. They dropped our men onto the floor, drew their curved swords, and gave us an amount of information, followed by an ultimatum."

"I'll bet you anything that this ultimatum has to do with me," Zelda spoke to Sheik. Her guard only smiled sadly back at her.

Her father continued as if this exchange hadn't taken place. "They told me of how their race is entirely of females. Of course, we already knew that, and sadly, here I am forced to confirm your information as valid, Zelda. They do use men in our Castle Town to grow their race. But they also tell a legend in their race, about how every century one man who is destined to be crowned their king is born into the Gerudo tribes. They claim that the legend has come true this century, and that that is the reason why they are becoming so dangerous to us."

_Those whores, _Zelda cursed with narrowed eyes, not daring to speak it aloud.

"But there is more. I asked them calmly why they would threaten the Royal Family if their legend became valid. It is because their new king, Ganondorf, has demanded that they conquer us. In other words, their king is corrupted by thirst for power. And the Gerudo eagerly carry out their sovereign's orders, happy to obey their leader."

"How dare they?" Zelda exclaimed, banging her fists on the table for emphasis. "We've been under a truce of peace for millennia! And just because they have a new king with an ugly name doesn't mean they can just stroll in here and try to destroy us! I bet those strumpets only obey that corrupt bastard to seduce their king! After all, what better is a life for a man to be completely surrounded by admiring, wanting women?" Every word that fell from her lips were full of contempt, dripping with anger.

The King's words became stern once more, but his eyes only told amusement. "Peace, Zelda. Second warning. By all rights, I should be confining you already."

"Your Majesty, I truthfully believe Zelda would enjoy a confinement. I certainly would," Sheik said with a smile. Zelda glared up at her guard, who grinned back, mischief sparkling in his eyes.

"I know you would, Sheik," the King laughed. Then he sobered when he came back to the conversation at hand. "And after that came the ultimatum." At this, his eyes became miserable and unspeakably sad. Zelda hadn't ever seen him like this since her mother had died, years and years back.

"And this is when my doom draws near," Zelda sighed to no one in particular.

"They gave us a choice between conflict and peace. The assassination attempts come in greater numbers and war becomes imminent, or…" Her father hesitated, probably knowing that Zelda would explode with anger. His fingers became spontaneous to him again.

"Spit it out, Father. You know I'll be angry at you either way, so just say it," Zelda demanded.

The King raised his sorrowful eyes to Zelda's furious ones.

"Or, Ganondorf becomes part of the Royal Family of Hyrule." The King slumped in his chair, making him look completely devoid of life. "I hope you'll forgive me, Daughter… I remember my promise to you, but… I cannot risk your safety, or the safety of those in the town right outside the Castle. What am I expected to do?" he spoke, the depression clear in his voice.

Zelda had yet to understand what was being forced upon her. "Part… of the Royal Family? How is that even possible? He wasn't born into the family, so–" Zelda stopped herself short. She looked frozen, her pale face looking even more white than usual. A horrible feeling washed over her, making her every bone and muscle feel weak. A searing pain seemed to reverberate through her body like an echo.

Then she spoke two words: "Damn it."

And suddenly, commoner hell didn't look so bad after all…

* * *

"Oy, Link! Thanks for roundin' them goats up today!" shouted Fado to the young ranch hand before he headed in for the day. "It seems they're givin' a rougher time to us these days. Poor Epona must be stingin' right about now, with the way that stubborn ol' goat charged 'er. I oughta be ashamed to make you two do this work, bud."

The young man named Link smiled charmingly at Fado and said politely, bowing his head, "It's never a problem, Fado, I'm always willing to help you, even if the goats are getting a little rebellious. And don't you worry, Ilia will be all over Epona before you know it." And both the statements were completely true. Completely.

"Ah, I appreciate it much, Link, old pal," Fado grinned back at the humble man. "Well then, I guess that's it for the day," he spoke as he opened the door. "You'd best go home and wash up. The fall from that horse seemed to have dirtied up your clothes. Good luck washin' those stains out!"

Link observed his layered villager's attire, checking his different coloured sleeves, his white breeches, and the slightly worn fabric of his shirt. He winced as his eyes told him that nearly all of his clothing was stained by the grass. "I certainly should do that," he chuckled to himself. "I'll need that luck, Fado, if you don't mind."

Fado laughed, "Well, g'night then, Link! Much obliged!"

Link waved merrily to the rancher, watched as the man strode inside his modest home, and turned to Epona. The beautiful chestnut mare whinnied quietly, complaining a bit about the wounds that the goat had given her. Frowning, he ran a hand through his sandy coloured hair before saying to her, "Let's see that wound, Epona." He bent down and took a look at the wound. Just below Epona's kneecap was a coat of blood that constantly grew out of a cut-open bruise. Link patted her fondly, murmuring comforting words, and began to lead her slowly down to Bo the mayor's house in the village, where his daughter Ilia also lived.

"Wait! Link! I forgot about somethin'!" Fado's voice rang out as he rushed out of his house. Link turned to him questioningly. "I forgot about it till now, bud, but Rusl says he'd like you t'meet 'im before you head back to your house for shut-eye. Judgin' by the way he said it, I'd say it's pretty urgent, bud. I suggest you go let Ilia take Epona to the spring first, then go ahead to Rusl's."

He thanked him warmly for the message, and they both gave each other good-byes again before he and his horse walked down the slope to the village. Fado watched as they left the ranch before saying to himself as he stepped into his house, "He's a good lad, a very good one. I only wish I could repay 'im for his work somehow."

Link stopped Epona in front of Bo's house, letting Ilia handle her rage as she realized that Epona was injured. While Ilia thundered down the stairs inside, Link decided to preoccupy himself for the moment by shutting the gates to the ranch. He had just heard the gate click closed before he heard a familiar stomp of the young woman.

"Link. What. Did. You. Do?!" her voice ground out through clenched teeth.

The goat herder attempted to suppress his smile before turning to see Ilia standing by Epona, furious to the point of glaring. Ilia was a young woman of about sixteen years of age. She was wearing her usual outfit: a long cream coloured shirt, brown leggings, and a purse that wrapped around her waist. Her piercing emerald eyes blazed at his cerulean ones with anger. Ilia was the one person that he could talk absolutely freely with. With everyone else, even the laughing, innocent children of the village, he was more refined and polite, never speaking a rude word, never offending others. However, Ilia had known him since… well, ever since they could remember. Since they were around the same age, they naturally became close friends, and Link was absolutely comfortable with making fun of her. Ilia was close to just about everyone in the village, whereas Link stayed polite yet slightly distant. After all, Link always believed that giving offense would do no good, so politeness was naturally his highest priority, along with dignity. But sometimes Link wondered if he felt something more than friendship for Ilia. "I just asked you, Link. What happened?" she asked in a low voice, slow but menacing.

Link let his head turn downwards, trying to look ashamed. However, he knew he was failing miserably. He hoped Ilia could not see his smile as he said, feigning weakness, "While I was herding the goats back this fine night, one of the goats decided to rebel against us two for once, for all of the goats we had herded against their will. He faced Epona and me, reared back, tossed his massive horns, and–"

"Okay, Link, you don't have to describe what happened like you're describing the Hyrulean Civil War," she hissed at Link. Link kept his head bowed in fear that she would see his grin. "A simple 'a goat charged at Epona' would've been fine." She turned away from him to stroke Epona affectionately, talking to her in comforting tones. Link was left to control his facial expression. With a last pat on the muzzle, Ilia took hold of Epona's reins. "I'll be taking Epona to the spring, of course," she said to Link. "And you won't be taking her anywhere! You can herd the goats without Epona for once! Epona has to have rest too, you know!" With that, she turned back to the mare and spoke softly to the horse, leading her out of Ordon Village and later through the Ordon Woods into the Light Spirit's spring. Ilia was extremely close with nature (and Epona), and Link knew that she'd rather spend time in the wild than stay in the village.

Link sighed heavily, shaking his head. Still the smile remained on his face; Ilia never ceased to fuss over Epona. He made to go off to Rusl's house, where he lived with his wife and son, Uli and Colin (with another family member approaching from Uli's womb), but before he could take a step, Ilia called over her shoulder casually, "Oh, and wipe that silly grin off your face." Then she proceeded to the village's exit as if she hadn't said anything. Link simply laughed to himself and ran to Rusl's house.

Before Link could raise his hand to knock, the door opened quietly and slowly. Link found himself face-to-face with Uli. "Oh, hello, Link… You've come to speak with Rusl, haven't you?" she asked in her quiet voice, sounding rather absent-minded.

"Yes. Is he here now?"

"Not right now," she answered. "I think he went to your house to come find you. Maybe you should meet with him there?"

"I think I'll do that right now. Thank you, Uli," he spoke with a smile before turning to leave.

* * *

Just outside of Ordon Village stood a lonely wooden house sitting upon a hollowed-out tree. The house was made of the wood taken out of the tree, thus not wasting any of the tree's bark. Link had made the small but charming house by himself. Link found Rusl in front of the ladder to his house's front door.

Hearing the sound of Link's approach, Rusl had turned to see who the visitor was. His face brightened as he realized it was Link. "Ah, Link! I had wanted to speak with you today." Fifteen years ago, Rusl, as a mere child of nine years of age, had found another younger child, about two years old, with pointed ears in the Ordon Woods alone, presumably abandoned. Rusl had taken the child to the village in his childish innocence and carelessness, where the mayor decided it was safe to let him stay, and thence the child was named Link. Rusl and Link remained friends over the years, Rusl acting as a cross between a father and a brother to him.

"What's the matter?" Link asked, curious.

Rusl replied, "Why don't we talk about it in your house? It is getting cold out now, and a fire would be nice to warm up our chilled bones." Link agreed and the older man headed up the ladder first, taking his time. Link followed promptly and quickly. "I bet you would prefer ladders to stairs now, the way you climb up and down that thing," Rusl chuckled as he lent a hand to Link to get up the ladder.

"Any type is fine for me, as long as it provides exercise," Link grinned as he entered the house.

The house was small with a few pieces of furniture and some ornaments hung on the wall. Link strode to the hearth to start a fire up, gesturing for Rusl to have a seat at the table. Within moments, Link and Rusl were sitting across from each other, the warmth of the fire already filling the room.

"So," Link began, rubbing his palms together, "I heard from Fado that this was quite urgent."

Rusl laughed, then said with a smile, "It is urgent alright, but it is completely your choice whether you want to or not. After all, the very prospect of heading past that bridge by the spring and entering the land of Hyrule is frightening, really. Even more daunting is the image of yourself presenting a humble Ordon Sword to the Royal Family of Hyrule."

Link paused, and he took a second before he processed what Rusl was saying. "You… you mean for me to go to Hyrule? And deliver a weapon to the castle as well?!" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, it was a task set to me by the mayor, but... would you go in my stead?" the man asked him. Link could only stare blankly at Rusl. "You are from Hyrule, remember? It would be nice if you revisited your homeland. You should know what it is like in Hyrule, the land you came from. Ordon pales in comparison to the astounding beauty of Hyrule. After all, it is hardly like the great fields that you could explore for days, or the giant cities like the Castle Town. Lake Hylia is a place I would definitely recommend you to go. And you should see the Zora's Domain, the Death Mountain, the million other sights in Hyrule. There are even other races. For example, you are a Hylian, and the rest of us in Ordon are Humans. But in Hyrule, there are two other major races called the Gorons and Zoras, who lived in harmony alongside the Hylians and Humans. It's an amazing place to go, much more lively than our quiet little farming community. If the adventures are to your liking, perhaps you could even explore the lands outside of Hyrule! The Snowpeak Mountains, the Gerudo Desert!" He told Link this information with vigour and clear admiration for the land.

"But Ordon is great already. Although I would agree that a person should know their birthplace, I don't remember anything of Hyrule, and therefore it would be strange for me to go. I would be so out of place in those fancy cities and such," Link argued. Indeed, his villager's attire would look very strange in the populated places, and people would immediately judge him negatively.

Rusl shook his head. "You don't understand. Why I want you to go is because visiting Hyrule is such an amazing experience! And everyone deserves to see the Castle and its surrounding town. Who would object? No one will throw you out of the Castle or the town because of your _clothes_. Whoever thought of such a thing?"

"Why must we present a sword to the court of Hyrule anyway?" Link wondered aloud. "Surely the nobles of the Castle can forge any weapon they'd like, as monetary matters are absolutely no problem to them. It isn't understandable to me why they'd demand a sword out of us when Hyrule holds the greatest blacksmiths in her cities."

"It's a gift to retain our peace, Link," Rusl said more quietly, more gently. Obviously this was a more delicate subject. "If we weren't so friendly with those in Hyrule, Ordon Village wouldn't exist. The authorities would force us from our homes to live in the towns in Hyrule, where they can reach us. Right now, we could be breaking the Hyrulean laws and they wouldn't know. We need to live peaceably, and so every year we send the finest sword forged in Ordon to the Castle to tell them that we want peace, not conflicts."

Link pondered Rusl's strong words. He never had any knowledge of the possibility of Ordon being torn down to keep the power in Hyrule's hands. And Rusl's descriptions of Hyrule were beginning to appeal to him. Perhaps the adventurous lifestyle would suit him, but Link sorely doubted it. He doubted he could just leave Ordon Village, the only thing he had ever known, behind to wander the fields of Hyrule.

"All right then," Link announced, suddenly decisive. "I suppose I should go if you insist, and I must say, your description of Hyrule intrigues me," Link admitted, causing Rusl to chuckle. "But I need to get Ilia to let me take Epona. I won't make a mile without her, and I can't take anyone else's horse."

Rusl laughed at Link's words. "Do not fear, Link. You forget the importance of the gift. Bo will get Ilia to calm down, one way or another." Then he pushed the chair back and stood, stretching slightly. "Speaking of Bo, I'm going to head down to his house and tell him the change of plans. You should leave tomorrow morning; you'll have more time to reach the town. And within a day of your leave, you'll be in the grand halls of Hyrule Castle. I think it is a good thing I have given this task to you... If you are lucky, you may even get to meet Princess Zelda! Ah ha ha!"

Link laughed with him, thanked him for talking, and followed Rusl to the door. Suddenly, Rusl paused and turned back to Link. "Link, have you been practising your swordplay lately?" he asked. "You never know who – or what –you might encounter on the way to Hyrule Castle."

"Of course," Link grinned at him. "My sword or my skill hasn't dulled from our last spar, you know."

"Then perhaps I will rise you early tomorrow for a final spar before you go." Rusl clasped his shoulder. "You can't be too careful nowadays. Well then, have a good night, Link! Sleep well!" he waved as he opened the door and headed outside, closing the door behind him.

As if Rusl had taken the energy along with him, Link suddenly felt dreadfully tired and weary. He slumped into his chair again. _How did I get into this? _he wondered to himself. _I'm going to Hyrule, and going to the Castle! _He shook his head in disbelief. But along with the initial excitement came a very strange sense of foreboding, like that of a tempest approaching. He tried to shake the horrible feeling away, but the tenseness wouldn't go. Sighing, he climbed up another wood ladder to the second floor to prepare for the next day.

It certainly would be a long one.

* * *

**If you'd like me to continue this story, review, because I love reading your comments and suggestions!**


	2. First Impressions

**Sorry. After one whole month of not updating, all I have to say to you is sorry. My goodness, this month has been stressing for me, and due to my business I have kept delaying my writing, I'm ashamed to say. Again, I apologize, I usually don't take this long to update…**

**I apologize further to my readers of The Legendary War of Hyrule; it might be even longer to update that one, but I'll try my best to set aside time for my writing. Yes, and if you haven't already, please check out that story on my profile as well. All readers are appreciated!**

**Now, enough of my rambling! Read on!**

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Chapter 2: First Impressions

Zelda slipped out of yet another one of her secret doors out of the castle, ready to go to the stables to talk to Storm in his private stable in the courtyard. Her horse was perhaps the only person that she could spill all her thoughts to and never be afraid of being betrayed. Therefore, whenever she felt the need to rage, cry, or rejoice, she went to Storm immediately. She could do that with Sheik, but he was her personal guard. The King had the authority to get all the information he had about Zelda's opinions from the Sheikah if he wanted, even though that happened only very rarely. Still, she couldn't take any chances. If Storm did indeed understand the Hylian language, he would have knowledge of just about every detail and thought of the princess.

Shaking her head at the creepy thought, she pulled her hood lower and hurried toward the royal stables like she had so many times before, knowing that Sheik would be out looking for her soon. Finding no one there as usual, she slipped through the stable's swinging doors and entered Storm's stall. The docile stallion nickered softly in joy when he saw her. "Oh Storm, I have so much to talk to you about," she whispered, tears running to her eyes as she ran her hand over Storm's snout. The stallion looked a bit alarmed at her depression, and nosed her cheek gently, a gesture she had gotten used to over the years. She smiled at him, and sat down on the hay of the stall. Storm obediently knelt down with her.

"Well, I'll begin my whine now. I'm getting _married_, Storm, to a person I don't know. Worse, that person is of the Gerudo. And you know how much I_ despise_ the Gerudo. Even worse, his name is _Ganondorf_. Who in this damned world names their child Ganondorf?" Zelda sighed, adjusting her cloak. "What am I supposed to do? I absolutely hate this idea, but I cannot force a war upon Hyrule because I won't marry someone! Even for me, that is far too selfish… Please, Storm, if you have an answer to this mess, pray tell." The horse's eyes looked sad, like he understood and was sad to hear the news.

"Of course you can't answer. I don't even know if you understand me." She rubbed her temples in frustration. "And even if there was something that I could do about this, I wouldn't have the time to do it! I mean, who finds out they're getting married one day before the marriage?!" The stallion uttered a whine, a sound he only made when he was miserable. Zelda smiled at him, but her eyes were sad. There was a chance that Storm understood her, but it was unlikely.

The Princess continued to lament lamely. "Father promised me freedom with my choice of suitor when I was young, one of the three most important promises that he made me. Other than that promise, he assured me that I would be happy in my life and I would be able to live in peace. But now, this blasted Gerudo man has to break all of his promises and trap me in my life! That corrupted bastard… I doubt I'll have any power after he becomes my husband." She shuddered at the last word. "And I almost scream when I think of what will happen when Father passes the crown to Ganondorf."

"Luckily, I will be able to keep you and Sheik with me." Perhaps it was only a coincidence, but Storm's sad eyes seemed to brighten. "That is the only bright side to this, but I'd have you two anyway without any phony marriage… With the marriage, I will be a miserable queen with an empty title and only two true friends to cry to. With that Gerudo King around, I will be uncomfortable for the rest of my life. Oh Storm…" She shuffled over closer to her lifelong horse friend and threw her arms around him, crying into his mane. "My castle, my town, everything I've ever known, will become my trap. I will be a prisoner of my own home. I just wish that something, or someone, could pull me out of this nightmare." She spent the next half hour beside her quiet white horse, arms around his neck, weeping, until Sheik's familiar hold lifted her gently and led her back to the castle.

* * *

"Link. Link, wake up. Goddesses, Link, when are you going to listen to me? Get up!"

The said man groaned and rolled away from the persistent voice, muttering something about going away. Rusl rolled his eyes, though with a smile on his face, and reached his hand out to give Link a pinch on his arm. Perhaps it was only a pinch, but to the sleeping man it felt like a crow had pecked him. Link jolted to a sitting position, giving a hoarse, alarmed yell and searching hastily for his sword by instinct. The older man laughed heartily. It took Link a few moments to realize that it was Rusl who had waken him. He groaned, laid back down, and tried to go back to sleep before Rusl pinched the back of his neck this time. "Ah!" Link gasped, sitting upright again and massaging his neck. He gave his friend a glare before resigning. "Fine, fine I'll get up. Just don't pinch me anymore!"

"Oh Link, old pal, you haven't become any less entertaining over the years," Rusl chuckled again.

"Of course I haven't," Link grumbled as he rubbed his eyes and stepped out of bed. He fumbled around and made his way towards his piles of clothes past Rusl, trying to make sense of the room around him. In the morning, nothing looked the same as it looked in the afternoon. He blearily caught half of a sentence of what Rusl was saying seriously to him: "–and such, and the royal gift is extremely important, so make sure you don't let anything get in the way of the delivery."

It took a second for slow Morning Link to process Rusl's words, and when he did, alarms went shooting off in his head like arrows in a war. "Oh damn, the delivery!" Link shouted, moving faster and cursing when his quick motions led him to bang his arm on a nearby shelf. He winced at the pain, gasping and grasping his hand.

Rusl laughed again, observing Link with childish delight. "Well, it is fortunate that I woke you early, then. When you are in your right state of mind, meet me outside for a spar." He stood from his chair, patted Link's shoulder in a brotherly and fatherly way, and headed down the ladders.

Link ran a hand through his hair, sighing, and began to prepare for the day.

After putting his clothes on backwards, taking them off, and righting them, he tried breakfast. After burning his egg utterly and nearly cutting his own finger off, he simply took a chunk of bread ripped off the loaf, swallowed it, and headed outside with his sword. "What a great morning," he muttered to himself, heading through the door. Somehow, the morning air of the nature around him cleared his head a bit.

"Link! I'm glad you made it out of the house unscathed!" Rusl called to him from below the ladder, grinning the same way he did ever since they had met: like an idiot. The children of the village were gathered around him, giggling at his comment. Link knew they were there to watch their spar.

"I almost didn't, though. I nearly cut off my own finger, after all," Link laughed, regaining his good humour for the day. He needed it, after all, since he was going to be speaking with Hylians in Hyrule Castle.

Then he lost it when he fell from the ladder.

The morning air wasn't clear enough to save him from the fall, apparently.

Rusl and the children were practically on the ground laughing when Link picked himself up from the grass and dusted himself off. Link laughed embarrassedly, and marched over in front of Rusl. Rusl bit his laughs back and became serious again. They drew their swords from their sheaths at the same instant, the usual ring of steel making Link smile at the familiarity of it. At the mere sight of the swords, the kids backed away from them with wide eyes. "Come now, Link, don't expect to win," Rusl taunted, each of them circling one another now. Both their swords were raised to a comfortable level, at the ready. "You haven't sparred for months. I, however, have trained constantly during your long rest from swordplay. Also, your morning was hardly a good start to the day." Talo and Colin, the two boys as different as night and day, watched anxiously, sparks of admiration in their eyes. As usual, Beth, one of the older kids, was trying to keep up a façade of indifference, but it was evident that she was as interested in the match as the two boys were. Link guessed that mature, small Malo only stayed to watch, then criticize their swordplay afterwards. But in any case, the children of the village were excited about a spar between the two best sword-handlers of the village, the first one for months.

"Rusl, don't give me that," Link shook his head in disapproval. "Natural talent is different from constant training. And put downs are low-blows."

"Then I'll give you another low-blow!" Rusl exclaimed as he aimed at Link's legs with a flash of steel. Link shifted his sword to Rusl's easily, and managed to hold off Rusl. Grinning, Link's opponent unleashed a series of many slashes at him, forcing him backwards. Again and again, the swords met with a metallic clang every time. When Rusl stopped momentarily, Link began to swing back with the speed of a striking snake. Rusl laughed as he blocked and parried blows, "Your speed hasn't decreased, that's for sure!" Link returned a smile as he kept slashing. After two more slashes, though, Rusl found an opening and swung his sword to take advantage. Link, sensing that Rusl could easily win through that opening, leapt away with a nimble back flip. Once more, they were forced to circle and wait for the other to strike. Link could almost hear Talo biting on his nails.

This time, Link initiated the battle, slicing his sword through the air and giving a shout. Rusl jumped back agilely, which allowed Link to approach, and he charged forward at Link, sword raised high. Link braced himself physically and mentally for the blow, and blocked Rusl's sword as it came down.

Their swords were locked together now; it was now a battle of sheer strength. Link felt a sense of déjà vu as they struggled to gain the upper hand; the two men had been in this position too many times. He could see the moisture on Rusl's face, and felt a coat of sweat on his own. He took a breath and began to try to force Rusl's sword back. Rusl gave a small gasp at the force and tried to match it, but Link could feel him wearing down gradually; it was becoming easier and easier for Link to make Rusl stagger backwards. Finally, with a final heave, Link shoved away Rusl's sword, which landed right beside the startled Colin. Wasting no time, Link leapt forward and whisked his sword tip upwards, leaving it to rest at Rusl's neck.

For one second, the field was silent, and no one moved. Link kept his sword at the surprised Rusl's neck, breathing deeply. Talo and Colin looked agape with wonder. Beth looked away, but occasionally glanced back, only to look away. And, as always, Malo rolled his eyes. Then, as Link withdrew his sword and shoved it into his sheathe, the children began to roar their praise and cheers. Amid the noisy ramblings of the children, Rusl sheathed his sword as well, wiped a bit of sweat off his face, and said with a smile, "Well, you're certainly fit enough to make it to the castle. I have placed the royal gift in good hands. You are right; natural talent is different from training… Well, are you going to leave for the castle after washing up? Make sure you bring everything with you, including the sleep-inducing mist I gave you last night, just in case your sword is not the prudent way to handle someone, or something of the like. Oh wait, you will have to talk to Ilia… That's right."

"Rusl, can you go talk to her for me?" Link asked as he made for the spring to wash up. "I'll be back soon, so try to get her to let me take Epona."

"Of course," Rusl promised, then his face turned sheepish. "But do not be surprised if Epona isn't here when you return; Ilia is quite the stubborn young lady."

"Sort of knew that," muttered Link to himself as the two men turned from each other for their tasks.

After washing up quickly at the spring, he came back to his house's clearing to find himself face-to-face with Ilia, who held Epona's reins tightly in her hands. Link knew just by looking at her face that she hadn't been swayed by Rusl's words.

Link launched right into the argument. "Ilia, please! Do you want us to look more incapable to the royal court than we do already?!" Link asked in frustration, stepping towards her.

"Epona should be your highest priority, not those fancy fools at the castle!" Ilia scolded him angrily, patting Epona's side. After seeing the bewildered look on Link's face, she amended with an exaggerated sigh, "But I know what you're thinking: I'm being selfish. The nobles are more significant, I guess… Then, don't worry about your horse, Link. Fortunately, it looks like the injury isn't too serious, and it's healed mostly, thanks to the blessed spring… You two can go on together." Link must have looked surprised, because she said quickly, "Don't think you're off the hook though! You still owe me, and Epona too!" Then she became serious again, and her face was stern, but somehow gentle. "But, Link... Can you at least promise me this? …No matter what happens on your journey, don't try to do anything... out of your league. Please. Just come home safely." She looked at Link with a pleading, almost loving look.

Link pondered her words; they could be interpreted as romantic, but Link doubted it. Either way, he didn't want to get his hopes up, since the trip could very well be dangerous. But Link simply responded with a smile, "Of course, Ilia. And, by the way, my league is way different from some other person's league, so don't worry about that."

"Link!" Ilia glared, her hands on her hips. "You know well what I mean."

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry," Link quickly apologized, not wanting to have Ilia angry at him, especially when he was leaving Ordon.

Her strange expression went away like a leaf in the wind; she looked shy now, and she spoke with a sad smile, "Come home safely. Promise me!"

"Promise. Thanks, Ilia," he said to her sincerely.

"Of course. I…" She looked like she was going to say something else, but she paused and simply handed him Epona's reins, though not without reluctance. Then, he strapped the sheath of his old Ordon sword to his back, Link stepped his right foot onto the stirrup and threw his other leg over to Epona's other side. Then he remembered something. He looked back at Ilia. "Oh, and Ilia?"

"Yes, Link?"

"Watch the village for me while I'm gone."

And with that, he spurred Epona gently out of Ordon Village, away from the tiny Ordona province, Rusl, Ilia, and his whole world.

But little did he know that his leave would be more significant than he thought.

* * *

Hyrule Fields was, sadly, dreary today. Least to say.

Link frowned at the gradually darkening sky, which occasionally rumbled ominously. As it happened, Bo and Rusl couldn't have chosen a worse day to send Link to the castle; a storm was definitely approaching. But in any case, Link was still taken aback by the sheer _size _of the fields. _This field itself must be over three times the size of Ordon! _Link thought in amazement. And if this was only the Faron Hyrule Field, he almost shuddered to think of the size of every field put into one. Rusl had told him that the other fields were even larger than this one. Out here, spending months exploring this place wouldn't be a bore at all. The beauty of the fields was also breathtaking; just looking at the natural beauty of this huge place made Link stare dumbly, his tongue tied.

He wished to just stay rooted in his spot on Epona for the rest of the day and very nearly decided to do that until he remembered the mission with a moan. Sighing in regret, he urged Epona forward in the direction of the castle. Already he could see the tops of the majestic castle from his place, and he couldn't wait until he could actually behold it in its gardens.

Other than the depressing weather and the amazing beauty of the fields, the trip to Hyrule Castle was uneventful, but long since of the huge size of the field. Epona had brought Link to the Castle Town in good time, arriving at the southern entrance at three o'clock sharp. The Ordonian hopped off Epona's familiar saddle, landed expertly, and gazed at the gardens around him. Link guessed that they would be more impressive on a sunny day. He took the package to be given to the castle from the saddlebags. "Just stay around here and graze, Epona," Link said to her, rubbing her neck fondly. The mare looked at him with her liquid brown eyes, and obediently she bent her head down to the grass. Link grinned widely at his steed and patted her one more time before heading up the stairs, two at a time, to the entrance. The southern entrance to the town was guarded by an intimidating stone wall and a bridge, but Link was surprised to see that no guards supervised the entrance to the town. _They'll be sorry if anything dangerous happens, _Link shook his head sadly.

When Link entered the town, he immediately felt uncomfortable in this busy, bustling place. Why, he couldn't say. Maybe it was the frowns some of the men rushing by gave him, or perhaps the giggles that the teenage girls released when they saw him. The women owning clothes-selling stands looked critical at his attire, and the curious stares of the children certainly didn't make him feel welcome. Link was also unused to the rushing lifestyle of the town, while back at Ordon, relaxing and lazing around was seen everywhere. But in the most part, he suspected that it was his own self-consciousness that made him want to run out of the town like a criminal being chased by guards.

Link was told by Bo and Rusl that the Castle was on the north side of Castle Town, meaning he had to cross the town from the south to the north to reach it. He walked so quickly that he didn't have enough time to admire the merchandise in the stands that littered the streets, some of the goods beautiful, others completely eccentric. Sadly, he also completely ignored the scents of food of the other stands and the storekeepers, leaving some of them insulted. Nor did he notice the small set of stairs that led to a lonely bar, or the grand fountain in town square that spouted water out of a stone carving of the grand symbol of Hyrule. He only kept his eyes on the towering spires of Hyrule Castle. After zooming through all of these amazing sights without even a glance and arriving at the gates to the Castle Gardens, Link found himself being pointed at with spears.

So much for royal treatment.

Link peered nervously at the two knights, waiting for an explanation. "Halt, young one! State your business in the Hyrule Castle," one of the guards practically shouted at him.

"I am from the province Ordona, and I live in its town Ordon. I have come to present a sword to the Royal–" Link tried to say, but the other guard cut him off.

"A sword?!" he exclaimed, pressing the spear to his neck. Link swallowed heavily, feeling sweat bead on his face. "What do you mean by that? Are you making a violent gesture, whelp?!" he barked at the shocked Link.

"O-Of course not, s-sir," Link stuttered, anxiety choking his throat and diminishing his sentences. "I only–"

"None of that, you insolent fool!" snarled the knight, grabbing him roughly and keeping his weapon in close proximity to his throat. "We are throwing you to the dungeons, scum! Perform any hostile act, and your head comes off your body! Speaking is included as well!"

_How courteous of them, _Link thought, astounded at how guarded the castle was. He thought quickly; if the knights kept their word, he would be in no danger if he was obedient to their wishes. They had no real reason to lock him up, which meant that it was probable that the authorities would wave away the matter. After all, who was imprisoned for saying 'sword'? If the guards ended up attacking him, he thought it wise not to fight, but rather fend them off for however long he needed and steal away, or hide in the town if necessary. But no matter what, he would ensure the delivery of the sword, therefore ensuring Ordon's existence.

But the knights hadn't taken him a step closer to the castle when someone stepped towards them from behind the soldiers, seemingly out of nowhere, as if he had simply glided out of the shadows.

"If you don't mind, Hans," said a strong yet cool voice from behind the two soldiers, "I wouldn't like you to act like so to our Ordonian friend." Link noted a hint of an accent in this man's words.

The two knights immediately withdrew their spears and stepped back from him at the voice, gulping nervously, but Link was still twice as anxious as they were. The men in front of him looked uneasy with the presence of the other man who seemed to be their leader. The man stood tall behind them, clad in a more elaborate set of armour, and his features looked foreign. Although his ears were pointed, as all Hylians' ears were, his skin looked much paler in comparison to the soldiers beside him with a nearly gray pallor. His slanted eyes were also, strangely, a shade of deep orange, and his hair looked too bright to be normal. However, his strange features managed to combine together to create a handsome face, somehow. The tall man spoke coolly to the guards, "This man gave you no reason to send him to the dungeons. Is that what you are trained to do, to throw everyone that arrives at the castle into our prisons? I'm ashamed." The soldiers looked at their feet uncomfortably, mumbling a vague apology and walking to their original places. The tall man stepped towards Link, ignoring the mutters of the guards, and smiled, "Come, lad, I'll take you inside the castle. The King told me personally to watch out for an Ordonian passing by. That's you, right?" He walked with Link along the concrete path.

"Yes, that's me. Thank you…" He waited for the man to introduce himself.

"Delano will do, my good friend. I'm commander of most the soldiers around the area," said the man proudly, who looked to be very friendly. "Take a look at the gardens before you head in; this might be your only chance to see 'em."

Only then did Link notice that he stood in the Hyrule Castle Gardens. In front of him stood an extremely tall metal structure that held the Triforce symbol at its top on the island of concrete. The sea around the cement was the rich green grass that led to the flowers of the garden, which gave the gardens the beauty and colour that made it so admirable. "It is gorgeous," Link heard himself say.

"Naturally. The royals seem to think it mandatory to have a colourful garden, though I'd prefer the beauty of the twilit sky any day, with the beautiful setting sun setting an orange light across the horizon," Delano shrugged, as if he looked rather indifferent to the flora. Link was surprised by his passion for the night sky. Then Delano smiled. "But I find that we men would admire the amazing architecture of the castle more than the flowery gardens, no? As for your sword delivery, I will lead you up to the throne room for that. In normal circumstances, the King would've attended to your visit, since you have travelled so far to arrive here. Unfortunately, the King is preparing for the ceremony of marriage for his daughter, and she will be handling you today." Seeing the look on Link's face, Delano laughed heartily, "Don't get your hopes up, lad. The Princess certainly possesses a beauty rarely seen, but she's rather… inadequate, shall we say, when it comes to personality. I recommend you treat her with the utmost respect, if you know what I mean."

"I'll keep that in mind, sir," Link smiled charmingly, keeping up with Delano's brisk pace. Underneath his smile, he cursed himself inwardly for letting himself show that stupid hopeful look on his face, but luckily Delano seemed to let it go. Somehow he knew subconsciously that Delano was a friend, and not a threat.

"Don't be nervous! Don't tremble in your boots like that! Oh and yes, I'll be needing_ your_ name. Can't have me calling you 'boy' and 'lad' all the time, now can I?" Delano slapped him on the back with a laugh.

"Link, sir. It's Link, from Ordon Village."

"Ah, Link, a good name, that is," Delano approved. "Actually, I've heard of your name used in a few instances in my knowledge of history. All of the Links I learned about were great men, did great things. I have no doubt you'll be the same!"

Link, truthfully, half ignored most of Delano's last sentence as he comprehended what Delano had said earlier. "Wait a minute. You mentioned the King preparing for… Princess Zelda's marriage? Who is the groom? What is happening?" he asked with interest. Even though Ordon wasn't a true part of Hyrule, they usually heard the news concerning the royalty in Hyrule. After all, news spread like uncontrolled wildfire. _The news must be fairly new, if it hasn't reached Ordon yet,_ Link thought to himself.

"Aye, it's a pity, that," Delano sighed, nodding as he walked. "Princess Zelda's hasn't taken the news well. It's an arranged marriage, and she doesn't know the man at all…" Link gave a sympathetic look; it must be horrible to spend the rest of your life with a stranger. "She's been raging at everyone who speaks with her. I don't know her personally, but I can just tell by looking at her that's she crushed about it. She's also ready to crush someone else, if you know what I mean. At the end of the day, she will be a living dead corpse." The commander shook his head sadly.

"The marriage is today?!" Link asked in horror. "That's so sudden! When did she learn of it?"

Delano shrugged, "A rumour says she found out only yesterday. It's a sad story, it is. I'm very worried. Apparently the groom isn't too gentle, said those that told me. That means he won't be a respected, just king. Ah, I see a dark future for the land of Hyrule." Even though he knew it was just a hunch, Link thought that Delano looked like he knew more than what he just spoke. His dark orange eyes looked even darker, and he saw a bit of hatred in them, he realized in alarm.

"Who is this king?" Link tried to ask calmly as they headed up the front stairs to the entrance doors.

"He's the King of the Gerudo, the only man in that race for a century. He's power-thirsty and corrupt, and he forced the king to decide between a war with the Gerudo or his daughter's hand. Talk about harsh, eh? His name's Ganondorf," said the commander with distaste, turning the knob of the doors and letting Link inside.

"I feel very sorry for–" His sentence was stopped short by the sight that met his eyes. The interior of the castle was absolutely breathtaking. The ceiling was so high that Link felt that he could fit the Triforce structure that was outside inside this room. Heavy golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, so many that Link thought he was seeing double. Indoor balconies were placed directly under most of the chandeliers. Stairs leading to the next room beckoned to Link in their place at the opposite side of the room.

Delano noticed how Link's jaw was slack. He said with understanding, "I felt the same when I arrived here for my first time only four years ago. It's an apt reaction, my friend."

The villager frowned in confusion, temporarily forgetting the hugeness of the room. "Four years ago? Are you new here? Or, relatively new?"

He suddenly looked uneasy, and so did Link. He didn't mean to make him like this, and was about to blurt out an apology when Delano spoke hastily, as if in apology to _Link_. "I… Look, it's a long story, and a boring one at that. I am a foreigner, yes, but I have absolute allegiance to Hyrule. Don't be suspicious, please. My homeland was destroyed, and so I'd have nothing to betray Hyrule to. Please understand," he pleaded desperately.

The Ordonian, knowing it was unwise to pry into such delicate matters, nodded and let it pass. After all, it was no concern of his; soon he would be back in Ordon, away from Hyrule.

Delano gave a small sigh of relief and briskly made his way towards the stairs. Link had to run to catch up. The knights inside nodded to Delano respectfully, but Delano seemed preoccupied and absent-minded as he gave a small nod back. He ascended up the stairs with almost inhuman speed that Link did in fact become suspicious. Just who was this man? Link wondered. But, Delano seemed honest enough; surely he wasn't holding that big a secret. The strange man also had an air that told all that he was an honourable man.

So, Link decided not to worry about it.

Instead, he inspected his worn villagers clothing and tried to make himself look presentable, all the while trying to keep up with Delano. The commander looked back at him, smiling. "Link, you needn't worry. Either way, Princess Zelda will be in a bad mood, so don't worry about anything. I'll stay to make sure you don't get… I don't know… pulverized by the frightful woman. That's a promise." He didn't seem to notice that Link paled a bit, and they continued to pass scores of soldiers, and occasionally, a noble. They ignored the two men every time, seemingly too conceited to acknowledge their presence.

"That was rather rude of him," Link commented in a low voice to his guide after passing yet another aristocrat. "Are they all like this?"

"Don't tell anyone, but yes," Delano grinned wryly back to the villager. "They're all high-nosed, snooty people who only care if their clothes are clean." Then he frowned, and became suddenly melancholy compared to his earlier cheer as he spoke wistfully, "Well, all but one, who has passed away. She was proud, strong, had personality… but kind to all that knew her."

Link nodded without a word, not wanting to ask about this mysterious lady that he had known for fear of upsetting him. He suspected much from Delano's tone, and fell silent for the next few minutes. The commander didn't seem to want to speak either, retreating into a quiet brooding state, until they came upon a set of stairs. Here, Delano motioned to the spiralling steps as he stepped to the first one. "Make sure you don't die while walking up to the throne room; there are far too many stairs for our liking, but the royalty seem to think that the higher they are physically, the higher they are in the social class." He shook his head sadly.

Luckily, the stairs weren't steep, but that only made the number of steps higher. Link trudged on and on, and at the halfway point, he began to wonder how high the royalty liked to be. "Tiring, isn't it?" sighed Delano, who hadn't stopped but had slowed.

"Just slightly," Link exhaled heavily in return, trying to keep moving. He kept forcing his feet up until he found that there were no other stairs to go up. "Okay, a rest now," he said, leaning on a wall and taking a break. "I can't have myself panting like a canine on the Princess when I'm in there."

Delano nodded, breathing deeply after the climb. "Sweaty or not, she still won't take to you, remember," he warned, stealing breaths from the air between words. "But of course, she doesn't really take to anyone. Only those that are of royal blood can hope to win her favour, and even then that's a mighty small number. Just try to be polite, and it'll be over before you know it. But it's hard to be when she's such a stubborn bull about everything. I know from experience." His face seemed to darken at the last sentence.

"Thanks," Link smiled, knowing that he excelled at being polite, if at anything.

After a few brief moments of rest, Delano asked him, "Shall we continue?" Link nearly groaned out loud at the very thought of walking, but the commander chuckled at the expression on his face and told him, "There are only a few more stairs to go, lad. Then, you'll be standing before that thorny rose in the flesh, in the throne room of Hyrule Castle."

The very thought made Link want to let out a frantic shriek and run back to Ordon. However, at the prospect of meeting this famous noble, he also wished to jump up and dash into the throne room. Link sighed at his foolishness, causing Delano to ask him, "What is it, Link? Is it nervousness? Don't fear; I'll be there with you, and so will her personal guard, Sheik. He's one of the most honourable and wise men I have ever met, and usually he prevents the Princess from doing anything… rash. His family of pure blooded Sheikah have served the Royal Family for decades. However, he doesn't seem to be able to prevent the woman from sneaking out of the castle all the time."

Link looked at him with disbelief written all over his face. "Did I hear you correctly? The Princess of Hyrule, who is snobby, snooty, and high-nosed, creeps out of her royal castle at every given chance? And she has a full-blooded Sheikah guard?!"

"Yes, she does, to answer both of your questions," laughed Delano as he pressed a section of the wall, which caused the wall door's mechanisms to slide the door smoothly out of the way, allowing the two of them entrance to one more set of stairs. Delano nodded to the two guards to the left and right, who saluted him as he passed by with Link. The door slid down to shut them from the interior of the castle, as where they stood now was technically outside. Link could see the dark sky from here, and he could also see the landscape around them. He was once again taken by the hugeness of the Hyrule Fields. Delano patted his shoulder. "Come, lad, we're not here just to gawk at the fields," he chuckled, heading up the stairs. "You can gawk at the Princess instead."

It was all he could do to tear his eyes away from the natural allure and head up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, Link suddenly felt a strange, dull pain prickling in his left hand, where the birthmark strikingly resembling the Triforce symbol was. He frowned at the abrupt pain. "Are you ready, Link?" Delano asked. Link looked at him questioningly, forgetting about his hand. Theatrically and comically, Delano made an exaggerated gesture at the Princess, far inside the throne room in front of them. "Presenting, the Queen-to-be of Hyrule, Princess Zelda!"

The beauty of the lady was indescribable. Link looked at her carefully in her throne. Her pale face had beautiful features on it, every section of her face perfectly shaped. Her light brown hair flowed down to her lower back, and on her shapely frame was a royal dress that looked quite extravagant, quite contrary to what Link was used to seeing. Link looked at her slender form, shocked. Why was he shocked? Never had he imagined that the Princess was as young as him. He had always thought she would be about Rusl's age. But there, in front of him, was Princess Zelda in the flesh. And she couldn't be many years younger or older than she was.

Then Link realized that Princess Zelda was, embarrassingly enough, asleep.

Her head lolled to the side, resting on her shoulder plate, and she was breathing deeply, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Strangely enough, she was beautiful when she was asleep, because her face was calm, as if it had been erased of all worries and pains. But then Link reminded himself that when she woke, her infamous mannerisms would show up.

"Oh Nayru, what do we do now?" murmured Delano, who had just found out that the Princess was unconscious, standing awkwardly by the entrance with Link.

"I thought you said her guard would be with her. Sheik, was it?" Link whispered back.

Delano sighed at the situation's silliness. "I certainly hoped he would be, but obviously he isn't," he muttered, more to himself than to Link. He tried to knock loudly on a nearby pillar of stone, but the Princess wasn't bothered by the sound at all. "Damn," he cursed. He turned to Link. "I've got an important job to keep. I'm not waking her up," he grinned at the astounded villager.

"Neither am I!" Link said back, his voice both a shriek and a whisper. "She's supposed to be the rudest woman of Hyrule! How can you expect me to wake her up? That'll be a pretty horrible first impression, don't you think?"

"Gentlemen, might I ask what you are doing, peering at the Princess from here like some infatuated admirers?" asked an amused voice behind them.

Startled, Link whirled around, his hand already on the hilt of his sword. Then he relaxed when he saw that the man was wearing a traditional Sheikah outfit: blue, skin-tight clothes with fabric concealing most of his face. The red Sheikah emblem stared at him, as well as the man's real eye, which was also red. But most importantly, the man held his head up proudly, his back straight. The Sheikah's pride was one of the most notable traits in the dying race. This was Sheik, the personal guard of the Princess that Delano was talking about. "Delano, I always wondered why you came to Hyrule to be a commander. Now I understand," he chuckled.

"You have guessed the truth," Delano sighed in an exaggerated manner, smiling. Yet Link still discerned a hint of unease in his smile and words. "But who can blame me?"

"I can, that's who," Sheik said, a smile in his words. "And who is this young man?" The Sheikah turned his piercing gaze on Link. "Is he the man that the soldiers downstairs were complaining about? The Ordonian?"

"He is who you think he is, but he has committed no crime. He's come to deliver a gift to the royals. Link is his name," Delano put a hand on Link's shoulder, as if they had already been great friends for years.

"A pleasure to meet you, Sir Link," Sheik bowed graciously, then extended a hand to him.

Link smiled at him, taking his hand and shaking it. "The pleasure is mine, sir," he said with his normal etiquette, polite and distant.

The Sheikah servant nodded with approval. "I understand you are gifting a sword to Her Grace?"

"Indeed, but there is a slight quirk…" Link said hesitantly, not wanting to offend anyone.

Delano stepped in to help Link. "Yes, a slight quirk, Sheik. Notice that your master is in a deep sleep when she is urgently needed," he told Sheik, eyes sparkling with merriment.

The Sheikah jumped as if electrocuted, startled to hear Delano's words. "She's what?!" he laughed out loud. He squinted to see the throne, where Zelda was peacefully dreaming. "I never expected this, even from her," he chuckled to himself as he led the men into the throne room. He stopped at the middle of the room, uneasily.

"You stay back here; the Princess is… rather… strict of the distance between her and her visitors," Sheik spoke with a bit of reluctance. "I mean no offense, and I apologize. But it might prevent her outrage from exploding, though I know she'll look for something in you to criticize anyway. I apologize further that the King could not attend to your visit, Link, but he is busy, as a king always is. Now, don't make a sound." At the last sentence, the skin around his eyes crinkled. He strode away from them, and stopped in front of the Princess. Link thought he heard Sheik muttering to himself before he stepped toward her and pinched her.

Hmm. Pinches seemed common in the arts of waking.

The Princess gasped loudly, her arm striking forward at her supposed attacker and jumping out of her seat. Her eyes snapped open after that, and at that moment Link almost gasped as loudly as Zelda had when he saw her eyes. Her midnight blue eyes possessed a sort of entrancing look to them and they were piercing, knowing. Sheik groaned at the blow that seemed to actually hurt, stepping away from her and moaning, "Princess, it's me, not a Gerudo."

Zelda' face scrunched up in a horrible pain before she concealed it behind a mask of anger. She bridled at the statement, frowning with dangerous anger that Link had never experienced before. Before she said anything, however, she looked at her right hand and turned her frown on it instead. Shaking her hand in the air, she turned back to Sheik. "Don't you _dare_ say anything like that again, Sheik, or I'll–" she began to say in an intimidating voice that made Link want to shrink back even though the anger wasn't directed at him. At the same time, Link marvelled at the musical quality of the Princess's voice. How strange it was to notice a voice's beauty when it was speaking angry, spiteful words.

"I would allow you to threaten me with a punishment, but you are needed, Princess," Sheik said. Even though he couldn't see the Sheikah's face, Link could just see Sheik's eyes shining with amusement.

Princess Zelda's pale face became even whiter than usual, and she asked in a tiny voice, "Dare I ask if they…"

"I recommend that you don't dare, Your Highness," chuckled the servant, "as your pale face will appear as though dead when I tell you they are in this very room, and you will see them once I move. In fact, they have been here for a few minutes, unsure of what to do because of your slumber. I rescued them, fortunately, and saved your neck from your father's wrath." Sheik was almost shaking with laughter.

"Be lucky that you are a true friend of mine, Sheik, or I would've stabbed you in the heart at this very moment for that insolent statement," was the cool response. Link started at the ferocity of this mere statement, and Delano laughed at Link's reaction.

"You would never. I am your most loyal servant, and you couldn't spare a guard as valuable as I am."

"Don't be too certain, _guard_," the Princess replied icily, as though she hated to be mocked by her own guard, and continued her speech with an air of command. "Now move aside, so that I may see my visitors clearly."

"As you wish, Your Highness," Sheik bowed lowly, the teasing quality still in his voice as he moved away from her view, standing at her right side.

The Princess's penetrating gaze fell upon Delano first, and she nodded to him. "Commander Delano, I trust that your soldiers aren't messing about during your absence?" she asked him sternly, her frown remaining on her eyebrows. Though her demeanour showed no open hostility, she looked as though she disliked Delano. But, according to the rumours about her, dislike was considered a good level of regard for Princess Zelda. Undoubtedly, Delano was a great commander to have gained such 'favour' with the Princess.

Delano nodded back respectfully, bowing deeply. "I promise you, Your Grace, they are switching posts in an orderly fashion even as we speak. And if they aren't, I will make sure they are punished properly."

Still frowning, the Princess replied, "I shall hold you to your promise, then, Commander. Know this, though; if your promise proves to be false, I will name you traitor, have you whipped, and chased from the castle." Link frowned, disapproving of her horrible manners. If Link, a commoner, understood the importance of courtesy, why couldn't Zelda, a princess of full royal blood, comprehend it?

Then she turned to Link. He tried not to tremble as her eyes scrutinized him. His heart jolted and his left hand pained as if pricked by needles when their eyes locked. And when he looked at his hand, he almost yelled out when he saw that the mark on his hand was glowing dimly. Link pulled down the bottom of his sleeve, trying to cover the unearthly glow. He looked up again. Strangely enough, her face took on a pink colouring after she had observed him, and she looked away from him to Sheik, speaking sternly, "You cannot expect me to ask you every time a visitor arrives to tell me their name, Sheik."

"His name is Link, Princess," the Sheikah servant replied in a calm tone, unperturbed by her strict words. Then his crimson eyes lit up with humour as he saw her slightly reddened face. "Is there a reason that your face looks heated, Your Highness?" he asked with that teasing tone. Link was hugely grateful that Sheik was there to lighten up the mood. If he wasn't, he and Delano could very possibly be kicked out of the castle by now.

"I…" The Princess looked tongue-tied for a moment, then she caught herself and tried to keep a blank expression on her face. "I am only embarrassed that Sir Link and Commander Delano had to be in such a horrible situation. I shouldn't have slept, even if it was… lowly _commoners_ like them who caused me to be fatigued." She spoke the word 'commoners' with distinct distaste.

Blood boiled in Link's veins, and he became angry at the lack of courtesy shown by Zelda. No one had the right to openly criticize honest people like him and Delano like she had. The anger surprised him; usually, Link didn't feel so strongly about upsetting situations like this. But the rudeness of the woman was almost too much to bear. This woman's morals went completely against his own, and therefore Link felt no respect or compassion for this lady, even if she was royalty, even if she was beautiful beyond compare. He tried to bite back his anger as he bowed. Trying desperately to keep the hatred out of his voice, "Your Highness, there is no need to apologize. I have come to present you our most finely forged sword to you from Ordon Village. Will you accept my village's gift, Princess Zelda?"

"Know your place!" barked the beautiful voice with venom. "Call me not Princess Zelda, Sir Link. One so lowly as yourself should call me not by title and name, but by description. 'Your Highness', perhaps."

Link wanted so badly to call her 'Your Lowness', but he suppressed the overwhelming desire to let her know of his severe dislike of her and said obediently, "Yes, Your… Highness. Will you accept my village's gift, Your Highness?"

"I will. Now come forward, and present to me your sword in the proper fashion," she ordered, her voice so conceited that Link wanted to yell at her that she wasn't very high at all.

Instead of fulfilling his wish, he came forward. He noticed with alarm that as he neared the Princess, the ache in his hand became increasingly painful, and the glow more luminous. Coincidentally, Zelda seemed to look at her hand often as well, frowning at it constantly. He tried to ignore the tension in his stomach and went down on one knee, in a half kneeling position. He held the fine sword in its sheathe with both hands and raised the sword forward to her, bowing his head down. He was glad that he had not the need to show his face to her as he spoke: "I, Link of Ordon Village, present to the Royal Family an Ordon Sword as a gesture of friendship to you. Please accept our gift, Your Highness."

"As you–" she started to say, but then she stopped abruptly. Link raised his head to see the agape expression displayed by Princess Zelda's face. She stared at him with a flaming hatred in her eyes, a hatred that Link felt was mutual. "No! I refuse!" she shouted as a child throwing a tantrum would, raising a hand as though she were about to strike him with it. But while she did so, she flinched slightly, staring at her hand. Shaking the matter away, she turned back to Link, looking at him with cut eyes. "I will not accept your gift, no matter what you say!" she asserted firmly. Link was now very aware of the sharp pain in his hand. It felt like something inside of his hand was burning it from the inside. He was also acutely aware of her perfect beauty, her stunning grace, her deep blue eyes. And how her fiery, brusque personality ruined it all.

Sheik seemed to jump into the situation from the sidelines and caught her hand before it landed on Link's head. "Princess, why will you not receive the sword?" he asked sternly. "What is the problem? Link has done nothing wrong; perhaps you were too fussy about the name he called you, but that is hardly a reason to refuse an honest gift from an honest man!" Delano shifted uncomfortably behind Link, uneasy to have to watch this transpire.

"I would accept the gift, were it not this man who delivered it!" she shrieked shrilly, as though accusing Link of a terrible crime.

"Zelda, what are you talking about?!" Sheik exclaimed, appalled at the childishness displayed by his master. "I know that you dislike commoners, but again, just because he is of a lower class than you doesn't mean you cannot receive a gift from him!"

"Not only is he a peasant, but he is a traitor! A traitor to Hyrule! He has betrayed our land!" she screamed at Sheik, unbelieving that he did not understand. "Don't you see the truth, Sheik?!"

Again, Link felt the contempt well up inside of him. Who was she to insinuate that he, the man ten times as amiable as she was, was a traitor of Hyrule? What could he have done to make the Princess deduce that he was a criminal?!

"How is he has he betrayed Hyrule, Zelda?" Sheik asked her quietly. "How did you come up with that insane idea when you don't even know this man?"

Delano stepped towards them slightly, wanting to help yet hesitant to approach. "I might have known Link for only ten minutes, but he has an air of honour around him, an air that many cannot claim to have," he offered hopefully.

"Silence, Commander! You have no right to speak; you are a foreigner yourself!" she yelled at him.

Delano was not intimidated by this display of ferocity; his jaw remained firm, and if anything, he became even more assertive when she made the comment about him being an outsider. "Every person has a right to speak," he said calmly. "And I want to speak that Link is not a criminal."

"I said, _silence_!" the raging Princess roared at him, looking for all Link knew like a lion. "Next time you speak so disrespectfully to me, your rank of Commander is ripped off of you!" Turning back to Link and Sheik, she spoke with utter disgust, "If you require a child's explanation, Sheik, allow me to give you one! This man, Link, you call him, is _Hylian_. Pointed ears, don't you see them?"

Link felt his stomach drop. He reached up to feel the tips of his pointed ears, and he knew what was coming next. Sheik fell silent. That was a bad sign; Sheik was his only protection from the tigress.

"If he is Hylian, that means he was born in Hyrule, as all know that only Humans reside in Ordon Village," she continued, still staring coldly at the poor villager. "If he was born in Hyrule and now lives in the Ordona Province, it means he has run from Hyrule and fled to Ordona. Therefore, he is either a fleeing criminal or a hater of Hyrule. Either way, it means he has betrayed us, by living from us in hiding! As if being a lowly peasant wasn't enough, he had to go and become a treasonist!" Her index finger pointed accusingly at him.

Turning to Link, Sheik asked calmly as ever, which infuriated Zelda, "Link, is what the Princess says true, or have you another explanation?"

"Another explanation, I swear!" Link exclaimed, desperate to tell them the story. Zelda snorted at his hopelessness, but folded her arms and consented to listen. "It is true, I was born in Hyrule." At this, Zelda's lips curled into a knowing smile. With much effort, Link suppressed the urge to glare at her. "However, whoever took care of me as a child abandoned me in the woods of Ordona, and I was found by one of the villagers there. Not knowing how to approach the situation, the mayor of Ordon Village decided to keep me in Ordon in case someone came looking for me. No one came, and as I had nowhere to go, I stayed at the village. I grew up not remembering an inkling of my Hylian life. Does that not make me a true Ordonian, born in Hyrule or not?"

"I knew the facts didn't add up," Sheik spoke triumphantly, sticking his chin out to Zelda exaggeratedly. "I knew, subconsciously, that Link is far too honourable to betray Hyrule. Now it is confirmed that my intuition is still sharp enough to be relied on."

Ignoring Sheik, Zelda still kept pointing out faults in Link. "Still, after you were old enough, why didn't you venture back into Hyrule? If you knew you were born here, you should've returned! That is your act of treason," she declared, smiling proudly.

"I had nothing to begin with in Hyrule; I had no land, no money, and no true knowledge of Hyrule. You cannot blame me for staying in Ordon. If I had returned to Hyrule, I would've become a beggar in the streets, or something of the like. That path of mine would be no better to you than the path I take now," Link defended himself, trying to prevent the Princess from having a reason to decline the sword. "Please, Your Highness. Allow me to give you the gift from my village." The images of Ordon, his woody home, flashed through his mind, and Link's jaw clenched. He _would _deliver the sword; he had made a promise.

The Princess, highly disgruntled now, glowered at him with her frighteningly beautiful eyes. Again, Link had to chew on his tongue to prevent mouth from speaking dirty oaths. "How do expect me to trust you?" she sneered. "After I suspect you are a criminal and still do so, why do you think I will take your sword? I have no need of it; that run-down, tainted-by-commoner sword would be of no use to me anyway. Just look at my sword." She grasped the hilt of her sword and slowly, expertly sheathed it. Link watched with surprise. He hadn't expected that Princess Zelda knew how to handle a sword, but Link knew just by looking at her _hold _the sword that she was an excellent swordswoman. The grace she held her blade with was stunning. Soon the sword was in full view, and Zelda held it proudly for them to see. It was a straight, thin broadsword, with a pommel of intricately shaped sapphire which caught the light in the most beautiful way. The blade was a lustrous, pearly white, undoubtedly due to the thousands of times it was cleaned and polished. "Look at the glaive of mine, one of my most prized treasures. Do you think I care a _bit_ about your worn Ordon Sword after looking at my own? It was created by the greatest blacksmith in Hyrule. My sword is beautiful, and yours is not. Mine is deadly and an asset in battle, while your rusty blade is dull and useless. Now comprehend what I have told you, and compare it to your village's situation. It is the same thing. Do not think your village will remain as it is, Sir Link. Even if you weren't a conniving criminal, we nobility would have driven you from your home over time. Your treason only made the process faster."

Link tried to deny her harsh words, yet he knew it was true. And her analogy was a good one. (She _was _intelligent in some aspects, he admitted to himself.) Though he knew he wasn't a scoundrel like the beastly woman claimed, he knew that one had only to look at Castle Town, then at Ordon Village, to know that Ordon would be torn down by the overly proud people in the town.

He felt so overwhelmed with despair that he almost fell to his knees. He had failed. He hadn't ensured the safety of Ordon Village. And now, his whole childhood, life, and world would be torn because of him. What had gone wrong? His oath of ensuring the delivery had been made with such conviction, such assurance. But now he had broken it. Now, his home would be lost forever. And worst of all, his friends of the village, his family-like friends, would hate him eternally for this, perhaps exceeding the extent that Link hated Zelda. They would hate him, shun him as they would a rabid wolf.

Even Ilia would.

"It wasn't treason."

Link nearly jumped in the air at merely three words that came from behind him; he had been so lost in his mourning. He whirled around to gape at Delano's firm face. "Forgive me, Queen-to-be, but I plead you, accept the sword! The man is honourable; what would you have done in his position, if you were an orphan born in Hyrule, heartlessly abandoned in the depths of Ordon Woods?" Delano asked in a voice that reflected the expression that was on his face. Link almost told him not to say anything more, so he could keep his job position stable; he was the commander of scores of soldiers! But Delano seemed not to care, as he was saying his sentences without hesitation.

The Princess scoffed angrily at his words. "For your information, Commander, I would've returned to Hyrule and became someone of high authority," said she, obviously too blindly proud for her own good. "But he failed to do that. He was too cowardly to do so! Need I explain a second time to you that I will not accept the sword?!"

"Princess, I demand that you take this man's gift!" Sheik said firmly, almost as a shout. "Take the sword, Princess, and we can get on with it! Link will not leave until you physically take the sword from his hands and tell him that you are grateful, however dishonest that sentence might be. Perhaps Ordon is a bit less notable than Castle Town, but it is a source of life. People live, grow, and flourish there. Would you tear that away from these good people?"

"I would tear it away from unworthy people," Princess Zelda sniffed in distaste, turning her cold gazing accusingly at Link.

"Zelda, your father would be displeased to learn of this," persisted the wise servant, his voice more threatening now. "Do I need to tell him that you gave these villagers a reason to spurn you? Take the sword!"

"Must I explain–"

"Zelda! The sword!" shouted Sheik, pointing at Link.

For a few deadly silent moments, the royal lady stopped speaking, her gaze locked on her right hand. Her cool blue eyes were flaming so angrily that Link involuntarily stepped back. A few seconds later, Zelda stepped forward and snatched the sword out of his hands so quickly Link could not comprehend what was happening quickly enough. And she spoke thus fleetingly: "I, Princess Zelda of the Royal Family of Hyrule, accept your gift of peace and friendship from you, Link of Ordon Village. Leave the castle – no, _Hyrule_ – in clear conscience that your village is a friend to us."

Then, ever so dignified, she turned and stormed out the back door of the throne room, the Ordon Sword in her hand.

Link gave a heavy sigh, allowing his shoulders slump. He had done it. Ordon was safe, the children were safe. The mayor, Rusl, Ilia, all safe. The relief that came rushing through his body was overwhelming, and his thoughts were slightly incoherent at his good fortune. If you could call it good fortune. And suddenly, he realized that the ache in his hand was rapidly receding, and the glow had ceased to exist. Was it a coincidence that Zelda was also leaving his presence?

Sheik tore his red, slightly angry eyes away from the door, walking to Link with his head high, as though he were not ashamed that he had spoken like he had. Link looked at him gratefully, saying politely and his voice heavy with gratitude, "Sheik, I cannot thank you enough for ensuring my village's survival. I cannot thank you enough. I will never be able to repay you, either. …I am almost speechless."

"You have thanked me enough already," he chuckled, his red eyes full of humour now, his exasperation at Zelda now erased from view, "and I believe you_ can_ repay me. If you agreed to come to the wedding of Princess Zelda and King Ganondorf, I would call it even."

"…I-I'm sorry?" Link managed to say through his shock. "If I came to the wedding?" He could not comprehend that he was being invited to a wedding of two royals, and much less that it would be a favour to Sheik.

"Thank you for reminding me, Sheik!" Delano laughed, coming forward and joining the two. Link looked at the commander questioningly. "I'm a bit short of warriors to stand by for the wedding, in case someone wanted to attempt an assassination on either of sovereigns," he explained. "We can tell you're a warrior just by looking at you; sword sheathe hanging easily from your belt, who wouldn't think so? And you'd have to be a good fighter for your village to send you to the castle. So if you could come in and act as security with me, I'd appreciate it. So would Sheik." Leaning closer, he grinned and elbowed Link, "And I'll need a friend to keep me from sleeping or running from the wedding, if you know what I mean."

"I heard that, Delano," Sheik smirked, "but I'll let it pass. After all, I would probably take a little nap while we're in there, if I was sitting down. And god, I can't even attempt to run from that hell because I'm the Princess's guard." He grimaced, knowing he'd have to stand through the whole wedding.

"I'll be there!" Link agreed immediately. He found the idea of attending a royal wedding exciting, though he wondered at the attitudes of Delano and Sheik. Perhaps they had been in so many royal meetings that they were used to them, even to the point of finding them boring.

"You're going to regret it, my friend," grinned Delano, looking surprisingly like Rusl. "A wedding like that isn't going to be fun."


	3. Ganondorf's Vow

Chapter 3: Ganondorf's Vow

"This is utter hell!" Link exclaimed, waving his hands in the air and whirling to face the tired Delano, who had heard Link shout this over eight times already. The outburst attracted the attention of passerby in the Town Square, mostly commoners, who then stared at him with harsh looks for such impudence. Link didn't even bother to hide his feelings, even if he was supposed to be the polite one. Compared to Link, Delano looked ten times politer than he normally was. "Why did I agree to this job again? If not for this hell you call a wedding, I would be riding through the night on my horse, exploring the vast, gorgeous fields of Hyrule! When are they exchanging the rings already? When are we even allowed inside the castle?!"

"Sorry, Link, but remember, you owe it to Sheik," Delano said, yawning exaggeratedly. He looked over his shoulder to give a quick survey of the activities around them, confirming that nothing dangerous was happening. The people were all hanging around the lanterns and the fountain, waiting for entrance into the Castle. Then he turned back to Link, continuing. "He _did _save your village and talk the Princess into accepting your sword. He risked his job, too! Well, even if he is nearly irreplaceable. And also, if you don't mind my saying so, he and I _did _warn you that this would be a long, boring hell of exchanging pleasantries. It's worse for _me_, anyway; I'm Commander Delano Shadowstar of the Hylian Army." He crossed his arms to prove his point, leaning against a nearby piece of the wall.

Link had to admit this was true. Over twelve people had dropped by to say hello to Delano tonight, and over half of them were women whose dresses did not cover their bodies adequately. "I know, I know, and I'm sorry," Link sighed heavily. "I know I'm being a whiny idiot. I only wish there was more action right now! We've been waiting for the wedding to start for over an hour! Action would be my absolute cure right now!"

"As it would be mine, my good friend," said the commander, nodding his head. "There is a chance, however, that a rebellious group of people are planning to disrupt the wedding. They've called themselves the Dark Interlopers." Link smirked at the silly name, and Delano grinned. "Many people are unsettled, but the Gerudo King demanded that the wedding take place today. If you ask me, I think the rumours could be true. It seems to me that terrorists would leap at the chance to establish their existence at a royal wedding like this. This happens only once every few decades. But nothing's happened so far, and that's a good sign." His eyes were still flicking through the crowd as though he suspected the rebels were among them.

"It's not good for my blasted boredom," the Ordonian muttered to himself. "When does the high priest begin his rant about the oaths and similar hellish statements? I'm not saying I'm looking forward to that, though. It'll be just as boring to listen to that drone of a voice. I just want an idea of how long we'll be staying in this place."

"It should be soon," Delano replied, scanning the passerby carefully.

As if Delano's words were a password, the King appeared with his many knights at the gateway to Hyrule Castle, raising a hand of authority for silence. Almost instantly, the peasants waiting in the square fell silent, the last remnants of the noise fading away. When all was noiseless, the King of Hyrule began to speak.

"People of Hyrule."

The normally strong voice of the King sounded a bit quieter than normal, and without the strength and power of the monarch's usual aura. It was as though the King himself did not wish to let his daughter be wed. Link wondered at this. "Today is a day to rejoice, for today is the day that my dear daughter, Princess Zelda, is wed to the King of the Gerudo, Ganondorf." His voice badly matched his words, for his words spoken sorrowfully yet his words were joyous. The crowd cheered enthusiastically, not noticing the King's apparent depression. The King waited for the noise to die down, and then he continued. "The castle is ready for you all. The only thing that forestalls the wedding is time. Now, if all of you could follow me, into the castle, you will soon find yourself watching the wedding taking place. Let us be off."

He turned on his heel as the crowd roared their approval. He shook his head sadly, thinking with despair, _What they don't know is that my daughter is marrying a monster. _He stared at the stars above, which had just begun to twinkle in the night sky. On another ordinary night, the King would have smiled at the stars and prayed to the three Goddesses for giving them such a beautiful sight. Now, he thought the sight was just mocking, as though the sky above didn't care that the world below was doomed. _What will become of my beloved kingdom, after that destructive man takes over it?_

He strode toward his magnificent home, his pessimistic thoughts gathering in his head like a storm cloud on the horizon.

Completely unaware of the King's thoughts, Link watched with fascination as the monarch, resplendent in his signature red robes, led his people into the castle. The crowd of people began to murmur amongst each other once more. Delano grinned at Link, "You wanted action? This is as exciting as it gets. Walking into the castle is the climax of everything."

"Damn it," Link muttered, joining Delano in his paranoid search of the terrorists.

And as he began to walk with Delano towards the Castle, his hand suddenly began to ache.

* * *

"This is purgatory," Zelda spat with distaste at her servants as she uncaringly pulled her left white glove up. She did not bother to be careful with the skin-tight gloves; she didn't care if they tore. She didn't care about anything anymore. She was diminished now. Her power was gone now, her royal rights meaningless. And it would be worse when the day ended. She would be married, and with her wedding ring came the knowledge that her husband was a selfish boar greedy for power. And since she was required to wear the ring at all times by law, it was a reminder that _he _was watching. "Why do I have to dress up for my enslavement? It's like prettying yourself up the day you march off to your death!" She angrily shoved her arm into the right glove as though punching something inside it.

"Why are you so much more furious than normal?" Sheik asked her cautiously as he waited for her to finish dressing behind the giant screen with Zelda's maid, Tetra. "I thought by now you'd be quiet and miserable, resigned to your fate. It's always like that with you; when something horrible is happening, you shut up and just wait for it to end. I remember, because I always caught myself thinking, 'I don't need to worry about Zelda whining near the end of it.' But you're still as enraged as ever. What's wrong?"

Zelda contemplated the question as she stepped to the mirror in front of Sheik. _What _is _wrong? _Zelda wondered. Her maid Tetra came forward to help her with her hair. Tetra was a loyal servant, but Zelda found that she could not be as close to Tetra as she was with Sheik. "Yea, milady, I reckon there be somethin' different 'bout you in this predicament. Sheik's right. Pray tell, what be botherin' ye?" asked the blonde girl as she began to comb Zelda's light brown hair. That was another thing; Zelda found Tetra's pirate-like accent and poor grammar repelling.

The Princess pondered her servants' questions. Surely, the wedding was another one of those situations where she became quiet near the end. Sheik and Tetra were right in suspecting that she would resign herself soon in any normal situation. But something was different.

True, Zelda normally became withdrawn as the horrible events in her life unfolded, and she waited in silence until they ended. That was usually the case, and right when things became normal again, Zelda became obnoxious and annoying again. Then Zelda realized that there wouldn't be an _end _to this. Once the marriage took place, she would be Ganondorf's wife forever. Till death did them part. The sentence made her shudder. And if there wasn't an end, she wouldn't wait quietly. She would kick, scream, and shout till the end, as a stubborn bull would keep chasing the red cloth.

She would never admit it, but the episode that had taken place earlier this afternoon probably played a part in her unusually black mood too. It was a sign that her power was slipping from her grasp, that her authority was already diminishing. That no-good Ordonian (Link, was it?) had humiliated her, and purposefully, too! Even if he was awfully good-looking, he was a criminal that had embarrassed Zelda that had forced her to take his good-for-nothing Ordon Sword, and Sheik and Delano had sided with him! It was bad enough that she was getting married, but the encounter with Link had blackened her mood. And what disgusted her even more was that she found herself blushing at the very _thought _of that two-faced criminal. She had never been so ashamed of herself – but she had also never felt so twisted over someone before either. The sting in her hand during that awful argument was worrying too; had it been a reaction to Link?

Zelda chose not to mention the latter reason when she finally replied to her servants, "I suppose I would normally be unearthly silent in any other situation by now… but I stayed quiet during those hard times because I knew that the quieter I was, the faster it would end. And now I realize… I realize that there will never be an end to this hell. I will be married until the day I die, and if I refuse to marry, our country will suffer a war. Our races would crush each other, everyone knows that. So I must put up with this power-crazy thief lord, who is too old to marry me anyway." She fell silent then, realizing that she was babbling.

"Oh, darlin', I'm sorry," Tetra patted her back comfortingly. "Sheik and I'll be with ya all the way. We'll be there for ya, honey."

Zelda found herself not caring about it anymore, uncaring about if Sheik, Tetra, her father, or Storm being with her. Now, she found that she would greatly welcome solitude, and along with it, blissful, blissful silence. Perhaps silence would bring peace.

But she knew deep in her heart that there would never be peace in her life after the day ended.

"I know you will," she murmured, fingering the place where the ring would go. "But it doesn't help to know that we three won't be alone. That bastard we call a Gerudo King will be there with us all the way."

Not a word was spoken for the next minute as they each wallowed in their gloom. Each of their lives would be greatly affected by the presence of Ganondorf; Sheik and Tetra's living conditions would most likely worsen. Even though Zelda had met Ganondorf only once, she knew that he would gladly kill them all and not care about the consequences. Not that Zelda wouldn't, either, but she wouldn't worsen life for Sheik or Tetra. They were loyal companions, and perhaps the only truly good peasants of Hyrule. And obviously, if Zelda was marrying Ganondorf _her _life would be greatly affected in far too many way.

Three knocks presented themselves to the three pairs of ears in the room, startling them out of their depressed thoughts. "Princess?" called a voice from behind the door. "The King wishes to let you know that you should be presentable within a half hour. Is that doable, Your Highness?"

"Tell him that I will be ready by then," Zelda sighed to the servant outside. She did not bother to ask if he meant the King of Hyrule or the King of Gerudo.

"Of course, milady," the servant called. Knowing that he wouldn't be allowed inside, the room fell silent again as the three listened to his footsteps fade away before speaking again. If a servant heard that the Princess was marrying a man against her will, rumours that she would attempt to run away would spread like the plague.

Sheik checked the hallway to see if he had gone, and confirmed to them that he had left. "So, half an hour remains until you are married. My little Zelda, all grown up," Sheik said, the amusement entering his tone familiarly. Zelda ground her teeth together angrily.

"Blast it, Sheik, don't toy with me," Zelda growled at him as Tetra twisted her master's hair into a bun expertly. Sheik only smirked in response.

"Sheik, dear, it be not wise to joke 'bout that now. Now shut up like the good boy ya are and fetch me that hairpin," Tetra scolded him in a motherly way.

An hour passed in this manner, the master and her two close servants bantering like they had for five years, as the wedding had constantly been delayed. Those in charge of planning the wedding did not foresee the millions of little obstacles that stood in the way of the marriage. Now though, after the King had summoned them, Tetra was weeping and Sheik gaping as Zelda stood in front of her giant mirror, gazing into the glass at herself for the last time before she was swept to the throne room, to exchange rings with that stranger, that _outsider_.

"M'lady… you are simply gorgeous beyond mere words," Tetra said shakily, a handkerchief dabbing at her eyes. And this statement was quite true, as Sheik simply could not find any words to let his mouth form.

Zelda stared at the woman in the image the mirror showed her, not understanding why Sheik and Tetra were acting so stunned. A fair woman returned the blank look, standing motionless in her exquisite dress. Created by the head seamstress in the Castle, the silky white wedding dress and its long skirt was so bright that it made even the woman's pale face look pink. A few beads on the dress caught the light like a diamond held in the light. It was a simple dress without too many ornaments, but it didn't make the dress any less elegant. The lady's hair was tied into a neat bun, a few strands of hair falling around her face. Her makeup was light, but it accentuated the features on her face. In short, she was lovely beyond compare, a diamond among chipped, broken stones. But Zelda did not see any true beauty in the woman that stared at her from the mirror; the hurt, lifeless eyes held no sort of beauty in them. It was like peering into a deep blue sea and only seeing the dark, quiet depths.

She was not beautiful. She was an ugly woman that had slipped into a pretty dress. And no measure of adornments would make the lady comely if her eyes retained that horrible, blank emptiness in them.

"Tetra, stop inventing compliments, and Sheik, pick up your jaw from the ground. I don't see why you're acting like this," Zelda told them angrily. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but Zelda would not allow herself to be miserable. She forced herself to be furious and spiteful; she hated women who were weak and useless and cried constantly, which was the main reason she was always angry and brusque.

"But Zelda… don't ya see how dazzlin' ya look?" Tetra made an exaggerated gesture at the mirror, disbelief widening her eyes.

Zelda wanted to roll her eyes, but refrained from doing so as she replied, pointing at the woman in the mirror, "Nothing's beautiful about that cardboard princess." Tugging uncomfortably at her too-tight gloves, she ignored their appalled expressions and told them, "Come now, let us march off to begin the doomsday, shall we?" She began to hastily walk to the door to the hallway.

"Zelda, don't be like this–" Sheik tried to tell her, but suddenly Zelda gasped, grasping her right hand in a death grip with her left.

"Zelda, what's wrong?!" Sheik shouted, leaping to her side in an instant.

"It… It's nothing…" Zelda muttered, unheeding her servants and staring at her right hand, with the Triforce symbol on it. She seemed to be talking to herself, trying to convince herself. "Only a coincidence… Nothing to worry about…"

"Princess, what be the words you sputter?" Tetra said with worry in her dark eyes.

"Nothing!" Zelda cried, unnaturally loud and cheerful. She smiled at them widely, but to her two servants it looked like something was wrenching her lips to spread painfully. "It's just that a pain like lightning suddenly erupted in my hand, is all. Nothing to worry about!" She made for the door again, even faster this time, but was stopped by the frowning Sheik.

"What are you talking about? If you aren't feeling well, you have every right to–"

"I do _not _have the right to cancel the wedding, Sheik," Zelda said, her anger creeping back. "That Gerudo King would just rant at my father and threaten him again, and then Father would look at me sadly, and then I would be expected to walk down the aisle with my hand aching as though it were burning from the inside!"

It was then that she realized she was crying, her tears rolling down her cheeks and ruining her makeup. But she didn't care anymore, not about anything, not even if she looked like a weakling drowning in her own tears.

"Oh dear," Tetra leapt to Zelda's side, ever diligent in terms of makeup.

"You're not putting on another face on me, Tetra," Zelda said, her bitterness making her voice harsh but her tears forcing her voice to crack. She could not be both people at the same time, she realized. She struggled to stay with her rude, angry personality. "Just wipe it all off. That powder makes me look like a tramp anyway. I can walk in there with my own face. Not like anyone will even see it, my veil will block all view of my face. …That's probably a good thing, since I'll probably look murderous or bawl."

Tetra looked solemn. It wasn't common that Zelda would pass over a way enhance her features. "Yes, lady," Tetra said obediently. She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder and began to dab Zelda's face with a handkerchief.

"Finally, a woman sees how grotesque cosmetics are," Sheik sighed. "The only other woman I know that thinks badly of makeup is Mother."

Zelda sat in silence, and Tetra said nary a word as she wiped the powder off the Princess's face. They never quite knew what to say when Sheik mentioned Impa; his mother had been banished from Hyrule for defending a man proclaimed guilty of theft. Sheik had always claimed that he would've gone with her as he also knew that the man was innocent, but Impa had insisted that he keep in good favour of court. And Impa was never to be seen in any official towns or cities of Hyrule from then on. Now they did not even know if Impa was alive and well; if she was, she was alone in the wilderness. However, Zelda suspected Sheik knew of her whereabouts, though she dared not voice her suspicions.

The room remained silent until Tetra had removed all of the makeup. "There now, yer all ready to be married off," Tetra tried to smile, and Zelda appreciated the gesture, but she would never be able to smile at the thought of the wedding.

"Let's report to your father, shall we?" Sheik said, quick to open the door for the two women.

Before she left the room, Zelda looked back at the room. Softly, she said, "I know we have sat here for long enough already, but it still felt far too short… Let us walk into the unknown future, Sheik and Tetra, and meet our inevitable fates. What will become of us once the day is through, I do not know. But in the meantime, we shall simply walk."

And they walked.

And as they did, the fiery pain inside of Zelda's hand burned even fiercer for every step they took.

* * *

The throne room was where the two monarchs would speak their vows. It was lavishly decorated with lights, ribbon, and flowers now, looking very different compared to what Link and Delano had seen earlier in the day. Hundreds of commoners struggled to breathe in the room, while up front, the pope of the tiny church on the west side of town, standing in front of the throne, calmly waited behind his wooden podium for the ceremony to begin with plenty of space around him, reserved for the nobles.

"We're almost there, my boy," Delano murmured to Link, who was slumped against the wall that was shadowed. All the extra security in the castle was to stay hidden and out of sight so that criminals would be caught off guard. "Stay with me, Link. It's just the ceremony left."

This sentence earned only a weak moan from the man almost screaming of boredom beside him.

"Poor, poor Link," Delano grinned.

Link straightened a bit, and spoke defiantly, "It's not only my boredom, now. My hand… the left one… It's aching like hell now, and with every throb the pain grows. I don't know what it means… It seems every time I enter the castle, my hand is on the receiving end of the pain. I don't know who's on the giving end… It especially hurt when I was in the throne room, quarrelling with the Princess." Wondering if it was wise to tell him this, he added, "Her hand seemed to be bothering her too. It's as though we're allergic to one another."

"I'm not surprised if you really are allergic; you two are as different as high noon and the time of twilight. But, what is this about your hand?" Delano inquired with interest. "You never told me about it. Let me see if I can't do anything to help it. I do have some experience in medical concern. Hold out your hand."

A bit taken aback by Delano's excitement, Link cautiously showed Delano his left hand, the one with the birthmark on it. Delano took one look and almost let out a yell. "Link!" he all but shouted. "Y-You have the Tri–?"

Delano's outburst was cut off by the melodious singing of the violins, which played their music softly as the wedding began. Delano looked at the musicians, startled, then told Link, "We're talking about this" – he motioned at Link's birthmark – "later." He turned back to the scene played out in front of them.

Now, the groom Ganondorf strode down the red-carpeted aisle, dressed in clothes Link suspected to be traditional of the Gerudo attire. A smile, or rather, a smirk, marked his tan-coloured face as he walked down to the pope. Link frowned, noticed that the groom walked alone as he made his way to the front of the room. The crowd all leaned forward, moving around to get a good spot to see the foreigner king. In Link's opinion, the king looked rustic and anything but regal; he did not even look like a noble, much less a king. But the fact that Ganondorf was male already established his royalty, and royalty he would stay.

The people of importance in the Hylian court came walking down the aisle to the places up front, and the commoners watched wide-eyed, looking like children with new toys. Link smiled as he watched Sheik walked to the front with a noblewoman, knowing that Sheik must be bored out of his mind. For what seemed like hours, the group of people in front of continued to grow until all spaces beside the pope were filled, except for one. Ganondorf waited expectantly for the bride to enter, looking overexcited. Then Link noticed something.

"Delano. Why aren't the Gerudo nobles here? Don't they have nobles?" Link frowned, confused by the whole thing. "If Ganondorf was getting married, wasn't it only proper for a few Gerudos to come at least? Or do his people not care whether their king obtains full control over the country?!"

The commander's eyebrows pulled together. He thought for a few moments, then admitted, "I doubt anyone has thought of that, Link; everyone has been preparing for the wedding as desperately as ants rush for cover in the rain. But now that you point it out… it does seem a bit… strange…"

Interrupting Link's response, the violins' melody changed abruptly, a softer tune playing into the room. All knew what the melody meant; the bride, escorted by her father, was entering the room. Everyone stood straighter, not only because it was common for them to do so but they all wanted to be able to see their princess walking down the aisle to be married off, and the King as well.

Link sucked in a breath through a small gasp. He couldn't see very well, but he could tell that the Princess he had seen earlier in the day was now dressed in an exquisite wedding dress. She was a sight to see, even though her face could not be seen distinctly through a delicate veil. She walked slowly, holding her father's arm tightly as if to make sure she didn't stumble as they proceeded. Behind them, a young woman with tied-back blonde tresses and lively eyes held her dress from behind. Commoners murmured as they saw the two royal figures. Soon, the room was so loud that the poor violinists could not be heard.

"I hear she only found out yesterday," said someone.

"We _know_ you hear she only found out yesterday," scolded another.

"The King is a great man, with many worthy accomplishments. An excellent, just ruler for the land of Hyrule. But the Princess? Not quite so kind. She will be the death of us!" a critic said bitterly somewhere else.

"What a beauty she is," sighed a male voice.

The men watching the crowd for light security shushed the muttering crowd harshly, and the violin's music sang again, filling the room with the bride's tune. It seemed to be forever that the King and Princess took to walk the aisle, but of course to Link the whole evening felt like so. The violins ended on the last note, the strings fading into silence, and the King kissed his daughter's cheek, murmured a few heartfelt words to her, and went to stand by the pope. The King nodded to the man Ganondorf, who nodded respectfully back. Delano muttered something under his breath when he saw this. Zelda hesitated in her place for a second, and went to stand across from Ganondorf. She reached into her veil to touch her face, then put her hand back down as the pope stepped forward, closer to Zelda and Ganondorf. Link swore he saw Zelda stiffen and twitch her hand as though it was bothering her. Link leaned forward, noticing that his hand was twitching too. Even Ganondorf seemed to be constantly glaring down at his right hand.

"Welcome, welcome, friends, family, and of course, the bride and groom…" The pope began his drone of the wedding ceremony, and Link slumped to the floor weakly, complaining like a child about his hand. Delano chuckled and continued his scan through the horde of people, listening to the ceremony at the same time.

* * *

"…matrimony… everlasting bonds… vows like unbreakable chains…" The pope's words hit Zelda's pointed ears, but only a few of the haunting ones really made their way to her comprehension, like an insistent fly trying to land on her. The speech seemed to flow overly fast from the priest's tongue, and the ceremony went by fleetingly. Later on, Zelda could only remember snatches of it, mainly the times that the pain became equal to that of a million needles piercing her flesh. It went by like a half-lucid dream. The princess became increasingly uneasy as the pope droned on and on. She wondered if she could stop time now and freeze the world to be unmoving at this instant so she would never be married, but it was simply her fate. In her distraction, Zelda stared at her soon-to-be husband. His skin was dark and his hair flaming red, characteristics of the despicable Gerudos. His face was creased with a frown, she noticed, and coincidentally he twitched his hand just as Zelda did. But this did not bother her overmuch; she was too busy complaining inside the confinements of her mind.

_The bastard must be nearly twice my age already,_ Zelda thought furiously. _He'll probably think he can just cast me aside and take full control of the throne. Well, he'll be wrong, because when he tries to oppress my freedom, he'll regret ever thinking about Hyrule's throne. Better yet, he'll wish he were never born!_

"…and through eternity it shall endure." The last words stood out from the rest of the speech, because Zelda knew they were the ones before the time they had to say that they would take each other as spouses.

The pope took a steadying breath, so he wouldn't stutter as he spoke the most important part of the ceremony. He turned to Ganondorf, who didn't move to meet the pope's gaze, but held Zelda's stare instead. "King Ganondorf Dragmire, Ruler of the Gerudos, Son of Aveil Dragmire, and King-to-be of all Hyrule…"

A shiver ran up Zelda's spine. Ganondorf's back straightened.

"… do you take Princess Zelda Harkinian as your wife?" the pope asked him, already knowing the answer.

The Gerudo resumed his eye-lock with Zelda. She stared back at him defiantly. Maybe if she glared hard enough, he would back down and say he wouldn't take her...

But, alas, a mere glare wouldn't repel him from absolute power over everything and anything.

"I do," Ganondorf said in a clear, strong voice. Zelda almost screamed at his bright expression; obviously he was gloating that he had obtained the throne so easily. Zelda felt disgusted, and utterly sick in the stomach. Although she wouldn't mind vomiting onto that Gerudo clothing of his…

"Princess Zelda Harkinian," the pope looked at Zelda, who also refused to break this silent argument with the King she was to marry. "Princess of the Hylians, Daughter of Daltus Harkinian, and Queen-to-be of all Hyrule. Do you take King Ganondorf Dragmire as your husband?"

Suddenly, voices in her head erupted with sound, battering her brain with things to do and say. Some of them screamed at her to shout that she would never marry him and flee the castle. One even told her to faint and deal with it later, when she woke up years later. Another voice gently but firmly told her to say the two words and give in, for the good of Hyrule.

She knew what she had to do. For Hyrule. For her father.

"I do," she choked out, her voice dry and cracked. Ganondorf grinned malevolently, fooling others into believing it was out of love and joy. Zelda knew otherwise.

"Now it is time for the vows. As is tradition, we will begin with the groom's vows. King Ganondorf, please proceed."

Ganondorf smiled wryly and replied, "It will be my pleasure. However, I have only one vow to make to my Queen."

Zelda wanted so badly to spit at the floor in front of Ganondorf just for daring to call her "his _Queen_."

Then it hit her.

Only one vow?

Finally, he broke her gaze and turned it onto the all of the confused people of the audience.

In a perfectly normal voice, as though it were a normal vow to promise a bride, he spoke: "Queen-to-be Zelda Harkinian, my vow to you that I must uphold on my honour as a husband, is that I will kill your father and seize the throne."

* * *

**...*laughs. Yeah, it straightens out next chapter. **


	4. Tonight is the Night

Chapter 4: Tonight is the Night

Silence screamed into the room. No one, not a commoner, not a noble, and certainly not Zelda, had quite comprehended the words that had dropped out of Ganondorf's mouth. Maybe he hadn't understood his own words either, because he stood absolutely still with a calm expression on his face.

Then, the first movement occurred.

Ganondorf lifted his hand and snapped his fingers.

To Zelda, it had seemed as though the stained-glass windows above their heads on the side walls exploded, raining giant shards of glass onto the nearby commoners, killing them instantly. As the windows shattered and its fragments fell onto unfortunate victims, suspicious-looking figures leapt through their makeshift entrances, all of them landing easily on the floor even though it was easily a four metre drop. They all stood up straight and observed the scene playing before them. By now, Zelda had counted that six of them had jumped inside from the windows. Calmly, three of them went to secure the room, and the other three began to walk up to the Gerudo King's side. Sensing that these people were not to be trifled with, the audience made frenzied attempts to make way for these people.

As they did so, Zelda tried to catch a glimpse of every one of them. This was not an easy task, with all those empty-headed commoners flitting about in panic. One of them, who was striding towards the front with a perfectly straight back, was a heavily armoured person. Not being able to deduce if it was man or woman as all of its body was largely clothed, she observed its clothes. On its head rested a grotesque helm that looked like a deformed lizard head. A heavy robe rested on its body, concealing most of its form. On this robe were alien, fluorescent turquoise markings, and strips of cloth hung from the sleeves.

"Do not be alarmed, my subjects," Ganondorf began to speak, in a tone that tried to mimic that of her father's, but it failed to do so. Zelda continued to observe the people as she listened.

The second walking towards them, like the lizard-helmed man, could not be distinguished from man to woman. The person wore a mask over its face, substituting its own visage for a monstrous mask. The mask had a giant pair of completely circular eyes, coldly and indifferently staring. Spikes protruded from the edges of the mask, giving it a fierce appearance. Apart from the mask, the person was clothed in only tattered rags. Through the rags, Zelda saw red skin over a muscled body. The figure walked like a hunchback, moving about in an ugly gait.

"All will be told in time, before you leave the castle. Whether you come out alive or not."

The third one, a man, walked impatiently to Ganondorf. He wore much purple clothing: a purple cap, purple cap, purple tunic, even long, light purple hair. His leggings and footwear were red, and a red jewel sat in the front of the cap. When the man brushed away the hair from his face, Zelda could see handsome features on his pale face. The most striking thing about him, however, was his piercing catlike red eyes. Then, she sucked in a breath as she saw… pointed ears.

Hylian.

"My friends will not harm you unless you do something to anger them. Am I correct in assuming this is fair?"

The audience, of course, did not respond.

The princess swung her gaze from the Hylian traitor, trying to shake away the dirty oaths that had formed in her mind, and looked to the one guarding the main entrance. This criminal was a woman, her stride so elegant it seemed she was floating. She was beautiful, but far from Hylian, Zelda realized in relief. Her skin was a teal colour, and her clothes were all purple or blue. She wore shoulder pads and a lightly armoured dress, a revealing one. Zelda felt revulsion rise within her; she hated the women who flaunted their looks in the manner that this woman did, which also related to the Gerudos.

"Best of luck to you all on the matter of holding onto your lives."

One stood firm at the entrance reserved for the royals and servants of the castle. This one was another woman, only older than the flickering one. Zelda stared at the old woman. It seemed she was a Gerudo. Her hair was the strangest sort in the world. Her hair was tied up in two sections. One of the sections was composed of burning flames, and the other of blistering cold ice. She held two rods of magic, in the same manner of her hair: one was fire, and one was ice.

"If you will stay in place while I tell you my story, it would be most appreciated…"

The last one leaned back casually on a pillar of the throne room. His whole body was dark gray and black; gray clothes hung from his shoulders along with a gray cap, while his skin was completely black. As if this wasn't frightening enough, his eyes were a deep crimson. And not bloodshot, either; each eye was coloured completely red. He was watching the crowd for people who tried to flee, killing those who dared with an ebony black blade. Another thing Zelda had noticed was that he almost seemed to remind her of someone, and yet his form was also alien.

She wondered who he resembled until she realized the whole room had gone quiet. The whole room was subdued, mainly by the appearance of these strange, frightening people. Ganondorf had temporarily stopped his threatening yet somehow casual words.

Then, the world went from a serene lake to a churning whirlpool of action.

Sheik yelled something she didn't understand and pulled her away from the man whom she was to marry. What seemed to be a whole army of Hylian soldiers filled into the room, surrounding the King with a tight circle. Some of the audience began to scream and run like madmen away from the throne room. She saw the pope go insanely pale and grip the man beside him for support, looking as though he might fall over. One of the soldiers who had assumed Delano's duty while the commander was dealing with the commoners shouted orders to move the King and his jacket of guards away from Ganondorf, who was still, infuriatingly enough, standing as though nothing was amiss. A shout of pain from the back of the room, near the entrance, brought even more insanity to the room. Zelda's head and hand throbbed with increasing pain, especially after Ganondorf's twitching hand raised and his voice boomed, "Silence!"

His voice radiated so much authority that everyone immediately ceased their action. Everyone stopped in their position to turn to the man who had uttered the command.

Ganondorf said in an amiable voice as though this were completely normal, "Now, now, everyone, there is no need for alarm. Yet. Before I fulfill my promise, I will speak to my people about what exactly will happen from here on out, which means you'll need to stay put, or this will not be fun at all…" When he saw a few people try to edge to the exits of the room, his face darkened dangerously and he barked with rage, "I ordered you to remain in your positions!" He outstretched a hand at the nearest commoner who still dared move and, without any extra effort, a blindingly bright ball of light shot from his hand to the man in a single second. The victim was blown away seven metres into a nearby pillar, and blood began to run out like a river.

Zelda stared at Ganondorf, unbelieving what she had seen. She felt Sheik tense beside her, grip her tighter, and push her behind him.

He was a magician.

Magicians were not uncommon in the land of Hyrule, and when they occasionally made themselves known for what they were, they were not to be trifled with. Magic of every kind existed nowadays and without further explanation, there was no telling what Ganondorf could do if they didn't know what kind of magic he held in his blood. But that piece of magic alone already convinced Zelda that his magic was the most potent of dark magics. And judging by the fact that Ganondorf was a magician, Zelda had a hunch that the other six people had magic running though their veins.

When everyone ducked their heads down and the tension rose, Ganondorf smiled and continued like nothing had happened. "Good. That should have convinced you that you don't want to be my enemy. Neither would you want to be my comrades' enemies, as they can do… many more things to you. They are talented people." This earned a few chuckles from his companions. "But the introductions will come later. Now… I would like everyone in this room to shut up and have a listen to the story of mine." His voice acquired the quality of a parent's voice when they would coo a bedtime story to a child who was to sleep.

"Years and years ago in the days when the world was but an empty void, there came upon our edge of the universe our three patron Goddesses. The first was Din, the Goddess of Power. With her strong flaming arms, she cultivated the land and created the red earth, beginning creating the land that was to become what we know as Hyrule today. The second Goddess was named Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom. She poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world, giving the world the balance we find ourselves in. And the third… we know as Farore, the Goddess of Courage. With her rich soul, she produced all life forms who would uphold the law that Nayru created to govern the world that Din produced." Zelda noticed the pope nodding his head eagerly, and felt disgust well up inside her. She did not appreciate the over-religious, although she had to admit she had to thank the Goddesses for bestowing upon her the Triforce of Wisdom.

If it was a blessing.

"I'm sure you've all heard these fairytales once when you were a child. However, the blinding truth is that the Golden Goddesses did or do in fact exist, and they did create our world. I know this is sceptical to you, but I assure you, it is the truth." When several atheists' voice rose to protest, Ganondorf raised the twitching hand again. Zelda frowned, realizing her hand was burning as well. She had forgotten the pain amidst the action. "Again, this thought may be alien to you. But I can prove it.

"You are all acquainted with the legend of the Triforce, correct? I doubt the Hylians have allowed their culture to wither…"

Zelda stiffened. The Triforce symbol on her hand began to glow dimly like a firefly.

"The legend is that the Triforce has the power to grant the wish of whoever touches it, and it changes the world around it to reflect that person's heart. However… if a person's personality has not a balance among the Goddesses traits, the Triforce will split apart into three pieces. One will remain in that person's hand, depending on the person's strongest trait, and then the remaining pieces will take residence in two others that fate decides upon. If the person who wants the wish granted manages to extract the Triforce pieces from the other two fated people… that person is granted a wish."

At this point, Ganondorf's eyes shone diamonds in sunlight. Zelda could see the greed in them, imitating real joy. But this… this was disgusting. This man was as disgusting as a boar!

"Do you know whose life I just described?"

A distant rumble sounded in the air, startling Zelda to the point of jumping. She stared at the sky through the broken windows of the ceiling. She had forgotten the storm clouds…

"This is my life. I caused the Triforce to split. I hold the Triforce of Power in my right hand. I have searched far and wide for the two people of fate. And I want my wish granted!" Ganondorf's greed could be heard seething in his voice.

"My hand is in pain, mind-rending pain. I know it is because the other two are here tonight," Ganondorf said, looking around like a starving wolf would search for meat. "Tonight is when my wish is granted!"

Thunder rumbled angrily, as if punctuating his words. Zelda could see him turning mad at this very second.

"Tonight! Tonight is the night that Zelda Harkinian became my wife!"

Zelda shuddered as the thunder's growl began to transform into a roar.

"Tonight is the night I became your soon-to-be ruler!" Ganondorf's voice rose even above the storm's angry exclamations. "Tonight is the night when I kill your King! Tonight is the night that I became King of Hyrule!"

The Gerudo King, or rather soon-to-be King of Hyrule, extended slowly his hand towards the King and his bodyguards. They shouted incoherently and raised their shields, cowering before Ganondorf. He only smiled at their pitiful forms as a ball of purple light formed in his hand.

"Rest in peace, King Harkinian. May your soul be blessed by the Golden Goddesses."

The ball shot so fast that Zelda didn't even know when it landed. She did see the aftermath, however.

The knights were strewn about, having been thrown within a radius of ten feet. Every one of them was afloat on a pool of their own blood, which steadily turned into a sea. The soldiers had landed awkwardly on either the floor or on their comrades, and a few limbs were detached from their owners. It was a scene so horrible, so terrifying, that you could not look away from it. Zelda stared at the image, feeling her insides churn wildly.

And she had not even looked at her father yet.

She turned her head with tightly shut eyes…

And opened them.

The King of Hyrule was sprawled on the floor, his head lolling to the side. His usually warm eyes were still open, wide with shock as he saw the scene before he fell. His signature red robes were stained with blood. Zelda wasn't sure if it was his own or of those around him. His own gore or not, he was a terrible sight to see. All of those that had taken the impact of the purple energy had died.

Zelda could not help but release a scream of horror and loss: "Father!" she sobbed. Everyone's eyes turned to the aghast princess. She didn't care about them. She wrenched herself from Sheik's grasp to dash to her father's side, but Sheik caught her arm again before she could take a step.

"Zelda, no!" Sheik's voice rang in her ear loudly, the volume making her dizzy. She kicked and tugged while Sheik yelled, "Zelda, stay in place! You'll get hurt!"

"Peace, Queen, you're making a scene," smirked the Hylian traitor dressed in purple. "Your husband only wishes to fulfill his vow to you."

"Indeed," said the lizard-helmed person. His voice declared masculinity, and also an arrogance that rivalled Zelda's. "This is not very grateful of you, Queen Zelda; he is completing his vow so quickly. You did not make a vow, either. So you should shut your mouth while we proceed."

The masked hunchback only grunted in agreement. Perhaps it was illiterate.

Zelda's cheeks burned. How dare they speak so impudently toward her! She was just about to explode in rage and curse them with dirty words, but Sheik gave her a fierce glare, and that settled it.

"Thank you, Vaati, Zant," Ganondorf said. "And thank you, Zelda, for taking Zant's advice… Now, I think that after this lovely display, you should be introduced to my dearest friends, companions, and advisors." He gestured at the heavily clothed man. "This is Zant, ruler of the Twili, the race of the Twilight Realm."

A gasp came from the crowd, and Zelda couldn't blame them. The Twili? Had they heard that right? Everyone knew that the Twili were outlaws, criminals. They were so feared that they had been captured and sent to another world entirely, called the Twilight Realm.

So if Zant was the ruler of them, did that mean the Twili had come back to their world?

Zelda felt her heart drop. She hated to think about who, or what, the others could be–and what histories they held.

Ganondorf smirked at the crowd's reaction. "I helped Zant… ah… win the throne, and in return, Zant promised me his loyalty and help." Zant bowed his helmed head, and Zelda wondered what kind of expression was on his face.

Then, he put a hand on the Hylian's shoulder. "This mage is named Vaati. Do not be alarmed by his pointed ears; he is not a traitor to your race. Vaati has… undergone many transformations to become his current… form. In his Hylian form, he presented himself to me, and after witnessing his many forms I took him into our little group." Zelda wondered at these words. Transformations? Of what sort? And why would you transform to become Hylian, anyway? And even if he wasn't a Hylian, he was still a traitor to his own race.

"This one here is the most mysterious of our group. Alas, I do not even know its gender, and it is a complete mute. Because of this, we call it Majora, and Majora it responds to," Ganondorf explained. "Majora might be strange, but it is… gifted. It has abilities that no one else can claim, and strength that is unmatched."

Majora raised its head, showing everyone its fearful mask. The mask's penetrating stare turned to Zelda, who quickly turned away from the monstrous thing. A shock had ran through her body when her eyes met the mask's.

Ganondorf gestured at the woman who Zelda had immediately taken a hatred of. "The beauty that stands at the back is Veran, the Sorceress of Shadows. Her magical powers are entirely unique from what I've seen, and she has learned so many magics that I have given up count years ago."

Veran laughed in a musical voice, and reminded him, "I have only mastered 11, my lord."

"Yes, but I care not about your spells any longer. Just remain diligent in your studies and useful in our purposes," Ganondorf waved off the matter, and continued with a wry grin on his dark-skinned face. "Beware when you are around her; she has killed another of our group, General Onox. But you need not worry about Onox, for he is long gone now." Veran only laughed again, with an ease that made Zelda despise her even more. Not only did she have nothing on modesty, but she found killing an everyday matter.

Well, it was biased, since all of the group were sadistic as Veran was.

The Gerudo King – no, the King of Hyrule, Zelda thought in disgust – pointed to the woman at the back entrance. The woman smiled wryly, flipping her batons around. "This is Twinrova, the elder of my Gerudo tribe, and a motherly figure to me. She has taught me many secrets, secrets to power and divinity… secrets beyond your comprehension. She may be one of the most skilled people here… excepting me of course." Again, Ganondorf's minions laughed in appreciation to this. Zelda scowled. What toady people.

"The last one… he is an interesting one." Ganondorf grinned widely, and Zelda wondered why. "His name is Shadow. He is a very special shadow as well… there is another shadow at my disposal, but she will not be revealed, just for my own purposes. Twinrova may be the one with skill, but Shadow is the one with cunning and technique. Take care not to cross him; he can be… bipolar."

Shadow laughed harshly at this statement. "But, my king, I do believe that my bipolarity surpasses not yours."

The minions all laughed mirthfully at this, and Ganondorf only smiled at this. "Yes, Shadow, I know. No one surpasses me in skill or… bipolarity.

"Now, to give you our proper name, we call ourselves the Dark Interlopers. A far too fitting name, you know, if you've seen just half of what we've done. But you have seen a fraction of what we do today, did you not?" Ganondorf gestured at the dead King Harkinian, and Zelda choked back a sob bitterly. Sheik's eyes softened, but he continued to watch carefully. "Now, my comrades have wanted to see skin split and blood sprayed done by their own hands, and I must do as they wish to appease them. I know this is sudden, but I must please my followers. Run quickly, and you may yet survive.

"On the count of three… one, two, three… go."

At this, the screaming began, and the whirlpool returned, only twice as powerful.

* * *

"Link!"

Delano's shout broke Link's mesmerized stare at the screaming audience. He realized a bit late that in the chaos and confusion, he and Delano had been separated by the rushing crowd. He rubbed his hand in a failed attempt to soothe the ache as Delano tried to call over the noise, "If we split up, we meet up at the south of the town, the passage that leads to Faron! But for now, get to the front of the room and help out! We need to–"

An explosion boomed at the front of the room, and Link looked up at it in horror, forgetting Delano in the action. The massive statue depicting the Triforce and the Goddesses that stood above the throne had been blasted to fragments. The Goddesses cracked apart and fell to the ground as the three triangles of the Triforce split. The pieces fell to the ground beside Majora, who had caused the explosion with some unspeakable power. The masked monster then proceeded to heft the marble material up into its muscular arms and throw it at its victims, hurling the rock as easily as a child's ball.

Unmatched strength indeed.

Well, Link wanted action, and action was being delivered.

Link turned back to Delano as the material flew over their heads. Frantically, the commander gestured wildly at the front of the room as the sea of commoners pushed him towards the main entrance. Link nodded to signal his understanding and began to fight the flow that moved against him. He pushed his way to the side of the room to lessen the chance of being utterly killed by an Interloper and to get through the crowd more easily. The people ran past him, fleeing for their lives as Link ran up to the front to meet his fate.

He looked back to see if Delano was nearby, but he was nowhere to be found. He scowled and urged his feet to move faster. Link knew that Delano meant for them to save the princess–or was it queen now? Was the marriage still legitimate? He frowned, reminding himself that Sheik was probably up there, and also hundreds of guards. Why was he even running up there? To be killed?

But he remembered his debt to Sheik. His pride and dignity shouted at him to keep running. Luckily, no one seemed to notice the villager, and he managed to evade the numerous varieties of projectiles, magical and non-magical, thrown by the Dark Interlopers.

He realized now that the front of the room was mainly empty, save for Ganondorf, Sheik, and Zelda. Around them were the fragments of the statue and the bodies of the soldiers protecting the King–and the King himself. The Interlopers had given Ganondorf space up front to confront the two of them. While the people around them screamed, they conversed with one another, and although Link was not yet within earshot, he could tell that Zelda and Sheik's faces were angry and Ganondorf's amused.

Leaping over a statue fragment nimbly, Link joined them. Zelda glared at the villager who had angered her earlier in the day, but did not say anything. Sheik whirled around, cursing and brandishing a short Sheikah-forged dagger, and then relaxing and sighing with relief as he realized who had arrived. "Link, thank the Goddesses you came," Sheik began, but Ganondorf cut him off, speaking like a paranoid freak as he stared at his hand.

"The Triforce… it glows…" Ganondorf murmured in wonder.

Belatedly realizing his hand was aching incredibly, Link looked down to find the symbol on his hand glimmering like a tiny lantern. He glanced up, his eyes wide with surprise, and saw the shine of Zelda's hand as well. She yelped in shock, and then proceeded to glare at the other two Triforce bearers.

"The Triforce of Power, Wisdom, and Courage, have gathered," the King said, his voice dripping with power-thirsty madness. He began to tremble in excitement. "I never knew that tonight would also be the night that I gathered the Triforce pieces together! Neither did I know that my own wife holds the Triforce of Wisdom… Fate truly dotes upon me…" He continued to mumble madly to himself.

As though their minds were thinking in perfect harmony, all three of them flew to the back entrance while Ganondorf remained in his crazed trance. Sheik and Zelda dashed into the hallway, and while Link hesitated, he glanced back at the room at Ganondorf and the Dark Interlopers. Ganondorf was still mumbling his thanks to Din, but Vaati met his gaze. With a strangled cry, he bolted after Sheik and Zelda.

They ran many empty halls and staircases through the castle, the paths reserved for the nobility, and Link couldn't ask where they were going through his gasps for air. So fast were they that Link couldn't even try to warn them of Vaati. It did not matter, however, since their haste kept them ahead of any pursuers, soon brought them to a royal chamber, Zelda's, he soon realized.

"Zelda, take some of your less flashy dresses and stuff them into these saddlebags," Sheik ordered, taking out a few leather bags from a drawer in the room, and to Link's surprise, Zelda scrambled to her closet to obey. "Take your black cloak too, and an extra. Give Link one too. Put them on now." Zelda carried out his orders like lightning, so fast that Link couldn't even take a good look at the room. She threw Link both the cloak and an angry look that shouted, This is all your fault!

"Now then, Link," Sheik said, turning to him. "Get out of here before Ganondorf recollects himself. When he does, he's going to hunt you down. Who knows what he'll do to you to get the Triforce pieces out of you two? Death, or worse! Who knows, maybe a Dark Interloper is already on our trail in Ganondorf's place."

"Vaati. He caught my eye before I left the throne room," Link trembled, confirming Sheik's suspicion. "He is probably nearing this place as we speak."

"You'd better get a head start, then, or you're going to get caught. Take Zelda with you, and don't come back!"

"What about you?" Link gaped at him, ignoring Zelda's angry protests at leaving with Link. "You're just going to stay here and die?"

"I have to buy you time. Ganondorf may be a magician, but I am a Sheikah," Sheik bowed his head. The danger that the plan gave Sheik left Link fumbling for an argument, but he knew that Sheik was right. He couldn't let Ganondorf get his hands on them, or the world would fall at the feet of that monster. Speaking of which, he was still in his trance, and Link heard him thank Din over and over.

Zelda glared at them both, looking like a deadly predator. Link braced himself for her nagging. "You realize both of you are insane, don't you?" she shrilled, stomping on the floor like some child in a tantrum. "First off, Sheik, you will die if you remain, do you realize that?"

"Dying to ensure your survival would be worthy of me, of someone of my stature, race, and clan. And if you don't get out soon, you will die with me, and for nothing!" the Sheikah said in exasperation, making frantic gestures at the exit.

"Worthy of you?" Zelda shook her head in disbelief. "Impa never would have let you done this!"

Sheik's frightening eyes bore into hers angrily, and Zelda felt fear from him from the first time ever. Actual fear, from Sheik! Link felt uneasy as the Sheikah responded acidly. "You don't know anything about my mother," he said, his voice dangerously quiet.

"Second," she continued, trying to act as though she didn't hear his words, "I will never leave with this savage. It would be putting my life in his hands! You can't seriously be thinking about trusting this outsider! You know, I wondered why I even relied on your opinions if you're such a–"

Amid her angry arguments, Link suddenly remembered Rusl's sleep-inducing mist. The older man had intended to give it to Link in case of danger, but Link supposed he could use it in face of a furious tigress. He rummaged in his pockets for it as he said to Sheik confidently, "Don't worry about us. We'll go." He clasped Sheik's shoulder in a brotherly way as Zelda became silent in shock of Link's sudden statement. "Good luck, my friend. May luck be with you."

The servant's red eyes softened from the anger at Zelda's mention of Impa. "And you as well. In case I don't survive…" His eyes flicked to his master. "…all I ask it that you take care of her."

"I will," Link vowed, and as he did, he popped open the vial containing the mist. Before she understood what was happening and before the mist all escaped from the bottle, he held Zelda's head in place and held the vial under her nose. Zelda looked at Link in shock as she said, "What…?" Then she breathed in the mist, and her deep blue eyes rolled up into her closing eyelids. Link caught her slim form as she fell.

Sheik frowned as Link put Zelda over his shoulder. "That sleep better be temporary," he said fiercely, red eyes flashing, and Link could finally see the strong bond between the servant and the master. Even though Zelda had infuriated him like she did, Sheik still strived to guard her, and Link knew it wasn't only because it was his job. Although, Link couldn't see how such a bond could be made with that woman.

"It is. It's just that I needed her to… be a bit quieter if we are to escape."

He nodded in approval, relaxing a bit. "Very well then. I shall hold you to your word."

"If you do survive, meet us in the North Faron Fields; that's the rendezvous point that Delano and I decided on," Link informed him, seriousness sharpening his features. "We'll wait for you for a full twelve hours, and if you don't come, we'll continue to run."

"Understood." Striding toward the closed balcony to the far wall of the room, Sheik tried to open the glass door, but to no avail. His patience wearing thin, Sheik clenched his hand into a fist, pulled his arm back, and struck the door with a well-trained punch. Ignoring the shards of glass falling to the ground, he led Link to the railing of the balcony, pointing at the direction of the horizon. Far off, Link could see a rocky passage that led south. "Take this path if you are heading to the south exit of the Castle Town. The fall shouldn't be too much to handle for you," came the instruction. The ground was only a few metres below them. Link realized that this was only the second floor.

He turned back to Sheik, and noticed that Sheik was regarding the unconscious woman slumped on his shoulder with worry in his eyes. Feeling a vast amount of pity for the Sheikah, Link assured him, "I'll keep her safe, don't worry."

Sheik looked at him with a tortured expression. "I don't doubt it, it's just that…" he trailed off. He paused, his red eyes boring into Link's. "Don't be offended by her rudeness. She is cynical of the world, and I think you can teach her to be a bit more trusting. Deep down, she has a sense of righteousness, but she has to be taught to show it a bit more often."

Link stared at him, not understanding. Then he shrugged. "Perhaps I'll understand your words once I leave. Again, best of luck, Sheikah."

A gracious bow was the servant's response. When Sheik straightened, Link had already leapt over the railing. He watched for a while as Link made a run for the exit, an ache in his heart as he finally realized that this might be the last time he would be with Zelda, his best friend. Then, certain they would make it to the fields, he turned around, only to look into another pair of eyes as red as his own.

Amid her angry arguments, Link suddenly remembered Rusl's sleep-inducing mist. The older man had intended to give it to Link in case of danger, but Link supposed he could use it in face of a furious tigress. He rummaged in his pockets for it as he said to Sheik confidently, "If you do survive, meet us in the North Faron Fields; that's the rendezvous point that Delano and I decided on. We'll wait for you for a full twelve hours, and if you don't come, we'll continue to run." He clasped Sheik's shoulder in a brotherly way as Zelda became silent in shock of Link's sudden statement. "Good luck, my friend. May luck be with you."

The servant's red eyes softened from the anger at Zelda's mention of Impa. "And you as well. In case I don't come…" His eyes flicked to his master. "…all I ask it that you take care of her."

"I will," Link vowed, and as he did, he popped open the vial containing the mist. Before she understood what was happening and before the mist all escaped from the bottle, he held Zelda's head in place and held the vial under her nose. Zelda looked at Link in shock as she said, "What…?" Then she breathed in the mist, and her deep blue eyes rolled up into her closing eyelids. Link caught her slim form as she fell.

Sheik frowned as Link put Zelda over his shoulder. "That sleep better be temporary," he said fiercely, red eyes flashing, and Link could finally see the strong bond between the servant and the master. Even though Zelda had infuriated him like she did, Sheik still strived to guard her, and Link knew it wasn't only because it was his job. Although, Link couldn't see how such a bond could be made with that woman.

"It is. It's just that I needed her to… be a bit quieter if we are to escape."

He nodded in approval, relaxing a bit. "Very well then. I shall hold you to your word." Striding toward the closed balcony to the far wall of the room, he tried to open the glass door, but to no avail. His patience wearing thin, Sheik clenched his hand into a fist, pulled his arm back, and struck the door with a well-trained punch. Ignoring the shards of glass falling to the ground, he led Link to the railing of the balcony, pointing at the direction of the horizon. Far off, Link could see a rocky passage that led south. "Take this path if you are heading to the south exit of the Castle Town. The fall shouldn't be too much to handle for you," came the instruction. The ground was only a few metres below them. Link realized that this was only the second floor.

He turned back to Sheik, and noticed that Sheik was regarding the unconscious woman slumped on his shoulder with worry in his eyes. Feeling a vast amount of pity for the Sheikah, Link assured him, "I'll keep her safe, don't worry."

Sheik looked at him with a tortured expression. "I don't doubt it, it's just that…" he trailed off. He paused, his red eyes boring into Link's. "Don't be offended by her rudeness. She is cynical of the world, and I think you can teach her to be a bit more trusting. Deep down, she has a sense of righteousness, but she has to be taught to show it a bit more often."

Link stared at him, not understanding. Then he shrugged. "Perhaps I'll understand your words once I leave. Again, best of luck, Sheikah."

A gracious bow was the servant's response. When Sheik straightened, Link had already leapt over the railing. He watched for a while as Link made a run for the exit, an ache in his heart as he finally realized that this might be the last time he would be with Zelda, his best friend. He closed his eyes for a moment, his face lined with distress. Then, certain they would make it to the fields, he turned around, only to look into another pair of eyes as red as his own.


	5. Rivalry Birth

Chapter 5: Rivalry Birth

Running for your life with a noblewoman slung over your shoulder was even harder than Link thought it would be. The fact that the storm had finally unleashed its deadly fury of rain onto the earth below did not aid him, either.

As the downpour began, a word that no one would ever hear from Link in a normal situation slipped from Link's mouth. The situation was far from normal, however. Link knew that the only chance to escape from Ganondorf and his Dark Interlopers' grasp was to find Epona, but she had probably not stayed in the exact place she had been before, so his only chance was to find the correct type of grass to call her. The battering rain was quite a nuisance in his search for the horse grass, and so was Zelda's unconscious body, but within a minute, Link's trained, observant eyes had detected the distinctive brown, horseshoe-shape of the weed. Laying the lady down in the grass momentarily, he frantically picked the grass off the ground and blew Epona's call. He knelt beside Zelda as he awaited his horse's arrival, slipping the grass into a pocket. The grass was usually good for two or three uses.

In about a minute, he could make out the chestnut form of his horse in the distance, rapidly galloping towards them through the pounding rain. He whipped his hood off so Epona would recognize him, hefted Zelda into his arms, and ran toward Epona. The mare skidded to a halt as she neared, and she snorted with fear as she saw the unfamiliar face of Zelda's, rearing up on her back legs and instinctively shying away. "Shh, it's alright, girl," he murmured, somehow managing to pat her soothingly to calm down while carrying Zelda in his arms. "She's a friend." _Not really_, thought Link with ill humour."She'll be coming along with us for a while." Epona had never been good with strangers; the only person in the village that could actually ride her was Link. He waited as Epona's hazel eyes calmed, and he put Zelda in the front of the saddle, strapping her body to Epona's large neck with rope from his saddlebags. Link carefully put himself into the back of the saddle behind Zelda, deliberately allowing a bit of room to stay between the two of them.

Link was immensely relieved that he had Epona as he directed her to face the Faron Fields and allowed her to gallop forwards without guidance. Because of the extra passenger, Epona's speed had slowed significantly, but Link thought they still had a chance to get away, especially if Sheik was buying time. He winced at the thought of Sheik; he could be dead already. Vaati didn't seem like one who would let prey escape, and even more so for Ganondorf. But for now, Sheik could take care of himself, or at least, Link hoped so. Right now, Link's mission was to keep the princess safe–even if she was a beastly woman. Epona kept a steady pace, doing surprisingly well with a stranger on the saddle, traveling through a narrower passage that would eventually lead to Faron.

The passageway soon opened up into the Faron Field, and Link's eyes darted left to right as Epona rode slowly over the tall grass to the right rather than the main road. His sword was already in his hand, the tip circling in anxiety. He was searching for hidden shelter, and was also on the lookout for any ambushes set up by the Interlopers to catch any runners. Epona easily tread through the grass because of her height.

Eventually, Link's hawk-like gaze rewarded him an opening of a cave small enough to be hidden by grass but large enough to fit into. He hastily jumped off Epona, eager to separate the distance between him and Zelda, and cut the rope holding her in place with a quick slash of his sword. Zelda began to slump off of Epona, and again Link caught her before her form fell to the ground, then he laid her gently onto the wet grass.

As he detached the saddlebags from Epona, he put on his hood again. "Now, Epona, listen to me. Don't come back here," he whispered to her earnestly. Epona, having known his spoken commands for years already, whinnied in protest. "You heard me! It might be a while before I call you again. Just stay in the fields, but _not here_. Understand?" His horse's knowing dark brown eyes met his, and she obediently nodded her head as trained as though laborious to do so. "Good. Now go!" he ordered. He could almost detect pain in Epona's eyes as she slowly turned away. He watched as she walked forward, then she sped up to a full out run. He sighed heavily, and turned back to Zelda, unconscious in the grass before him. He muttered a third curse as he picked her up and carried her to the cave.

_Please, Delano. Come soon. _Link prayed as he slipped through the opening of the cave with Zelda in tow. _And Sheik–if you're alive._ Aloud, he said as he looked through the entrance of the cave, "We are utterly _doomed_."

A voice broke through the dark of the cave. The voice echoed, far away from the entrance of the cave.

Apparently the cave wasn't so small after all.

"Who's there?!"

* * *

"You. Sheikah. Get out of my way." The order was spoken with a hint of annoyance at the slight delay to the capture of the Triforce bearers. Vaati coldly met Sheik's eyes, which were only now relaxing into a guarded look. "If you do, I might spare your life," he said.

"Never," answered the servant in a rough voice, shifting into a fighting stance. "I will not be the one to hand them to you like this."

"Then you die," smiled the sorcerer in a nonchalant tone, his head cocking to the side. An aura of fiery blue magic glowed around his hand as he raised it, and even from two metres away, Sheik felt his body begin to burn up. "I'll give you a choice, Sheikah. You can let me kill you by shoving this magic down your throat, burning you from the inside out, or you can simply let me over the balcony. Who knows, if you let me pass, I might get you a place into Ganondorf's army; after all, I am his favourite. You could even be a Dark Interloper with your skill. You're a talented one, Sheik. You were always so diligent in your life; coming into royal service at the age of only eleven, and then becoming the official guard of that wench of a Queen at only fifteen years of age. You stayed at the Castle when your mother left for Old Kakariko because of your duty to Zelda. You've even managed to let the two Triforce bearers escape, temporarily anyway. You have much more to accomplish ahead of you."

It felt like an icy spider was crawling down Sheik's spine, leaving an equally freezing strand of web in its trail.

"Oh, yes, Sheik, I am very familiar with your life," Vaati smirked when he saw Sheik's shocked face. The fire magic on his hand dimmed down to yellow, then orange, then disappeared momentarily as he lowered his hand again. "Don't look so surprised; I know the lives of the King and Zelda very well, too. Being able to transform through different races is very rewarding. But your life I know even _better _than theirs."

"I still don't understand how you can outline my _whole life _with that meagre statement," Sheik growled through clenched teeth.

"And you never will," Vaati flashed a grin at him, and Sheik glimpsed razor-sharp teeth behind his lips. He also noticed that a ball of the blue fire was now racing towards him.

With nearly no time to react, his body took the blow, and he was thrown back into the marble bars of the balcony, which only shook from the impact. The shattered glass of the door he had broken himself lay scattered around him. It took his body a moment to register the fact that he was in horrible pain, his skin burned and raw. Then Vaati lunged at him, and an icy pain shot through his body as something as hard as steel slammed into his side. Sheik looked up weakly from the floor of the balcony, realizing that it had simply been Vaati's fist that had hit him. Sheik sat up, blackness threatening to take over his eyesight, but he would not submit to it. He ignored the burns on his skin as he defiantly stared at Vaati, who seemed to be towering above him.

"Last chance, Sheik," he taunted the servant, tossing another ball of fire into the air playfully. Sheik's body shook even though he did not stand. He did not respond to Vaati but rather rolled away from him, the shards of glass digging into his already injured body. He grabbed a larger, sharper shard of glass as he stood from his place on the floor and hurled it expertly at Vaati. With blinding, inhuman speed, Vaati released the fireball, and the fire consumed the glass and turned it away from its original target. Adrenaline rushing in his veins, Sheik sidestepped it quickly, the burning glass missing his face by inches. The scalding heat did touch the white cloth covering his face, however, and the fire grazed his face, leaving a burn. He heard the glass crash and set a wooden table on fire behind him, but he could not even spare a glance. Vaati laughed at Sheik's attempts, ignoring the fact that a fire was burning in the room. "You may have been well trained, but not in the face of fire, obviously," he said, amused.

Sheik released a feral growl, outraged. He couldn't take any more blows from Vaati; just look at how many burns covered his body with only two throws of fire and a punch!

Vaati seemed to know what he was thinking, and he smiled wryly, knowing his complete advantage over the Sheikah. "Listen, Sheik. I'll give you another chance to join us. Maybe then I'll tell you a bit more about how I know you so well. I do know about your family, and I have a considerable amount of knowledge of your mostly extinct clan as well. More than whatever's swimming in _your_ head. You can know your history. I also know things, things like where that meddling wench Impa is hiding. I know who your father is, even. You can _know_!" he said, his voice infused with magic to force Sheik to agree.

He fought the urge to say yes, to know what his family was going through, to know how this _freak_ knew them so well. His willpower was strong, but so was the magic… the alluring magic. It was addictive, and he knew his honour would soon be tarnished. The knowledge killed him from the inside. But he could not resist the magic…

And he gave in.

"Fine. Just tell me. Everything. About my mother… everyone you knew was related to me," he spat out, along with blood. The magic was circling him now, and its presence was too intoxicating for him to control his own consciousness. Sheik wanted to please the magic, to make it stay… so he decided to obey Vaati, if it would keep the magic near… It took some of the burning pain that seared his lungs away and replaced it with bliss.

The sorcerer wasn't surprised; according to his knowledge of the servant, Sheik was extremely curious and that curiosity was his ultimate weakness. The magic only made it a tad easier. "Good boy," laughed Vaati, his voice returning to normal, "now your first mission will be to come with me and capture Queen Zelda and that rugged commoner!"

Sheik took a second to process his words, and when he heard Vaati spit out Zelda's name, he instantly snapped out of the magic. What was he doing?! His honour, his life was on the line right now! And Zelda needed him right now!

He winced at the thought of his friend and master. Disgust at himself welled up within him; he had let mere magic take a hold of him! He struggled to keep up the façade, though, and he bowed lowly to Vaati, though the pain of simply bending over was too much already. The blackness flickered in his eyes again. "Yes, Master Vaati," he said, false respect filling his tone as he struggled to keep hold of consciousness. Satisfied with the way his magic was holding him in place, or so he thought, Vaati smiled arrogantly and turned to the balcony, beckoning Sheik to come with him.

Sheik slowly followed him to the marble bars, pretending pain prevent him from moving too quickly. Vaati stopped before the edge of the balcony, staring out at the rain with dull red eyes. "The storm has begun," he observed with an emotionless voice. "Perhaps the rain has hindered them, and this time wouldn't have been utterly wasted. My new servant, come–"

His words were cut off by a massive crash of pottery shattering on the back of his head, joining the shards of the glass around them, and Vaati was knocked over the balcony, unconscious. Sheik stepped over the broken porcelain and glass and looked over the edge. He watched as the sorcerer's body fell to the earth with a thump heard even from Sheik's height. He bit his lip, wondering if he went too far, then decided that a fall like that would not harm a magician unduly. He looked behind him at the terrible, burning state of Zelda's room, wondering if he had forgotten anything. Tetra, yes, but Sheik knew she could survive in the castle, as long as she abided to their wishes. And King Harkinian was now dead. No longer could he help the former ruler of the country.

Then memories of things that happened here flashed through his mind, and he bowed his head in sorrow, thinking of what he would be leaving behind. But it had all changed now. It had changed into a palace full of corrupt villains, and memories as precious as the ones in his mind now could not be formed here any longer. He looked up, staring at the cruel storm clouds, dark gray as thunder rumbled. Staring below, he saw Vaati's purple unmoving body. With a shaky sigh, he lifted himself so that he stood on top of the small walls. Taking one glance back, he leapt from the balcony and over the edge, landing softly on the damp ground. He looked at Vaati on the ground for one moment, the temptation of Vaati's offer lingering with him for a moment. But he shook away the desire, knowing it was based all on lies. He would not stoop to Ganondorf's level and kill an enemy on the opposite end, so he refrained from touching Vaati. After taking a deep breath, which in itself was painful to execute, he began to run toward the stables, the pain paling in comparison to how much he worried about Link and Zelda now.

* * *

Link literally jumped in his place when the voice spoke its words with harshness, and also with a hint of fear. He turned around slowly, making sure that his hood covered his face in case the dark of the cave couldn't conceal it. He slowly, cautiously, sidled in front of Zelda while gently pushing her away from the voice. He hated how instinctive the action was, protecting her.

"I said, who's there?! I am armed with a spear!" the voice said. Link heard masculinity in the voice now, but it was not one he recognized. It wasn't Delano's accented words, and it certainly wasn't Sheik's voice. Metal clanked on a wall of the cave, and sparks flew, illuminating the spear for a moment, but Link did not catch the man's face.

"I am armed as well, and I am well-trained with the sword," Link replied in a cool tone, testing the fear of the man. He slowly shifted both him and Zelda towards the cave entrance, ready to flee if open hostility were to be shown. He could not fight in darkness; his ears were not trained enough for it. Nevertheless, he decided to unsheathe his sword, letting the ring of metal startle the man.

There was a pause. "So be it. I will agree not to attack you if you tell me your name, and the name of the person you carried in with you," the person returned, his voice trembling a bit.

Link could tell he was trying to sound offhand, and he tried to think. Would it harm them to mention their names? Not Link's, no, he was a nobody. But surely Zelda couldn't be revealed unless Link was sure he could trust the man. "Only if you tell me of _your _identity, sir; we are people whose identities cannot be thrown about."

Another pause. "My name is Hans, and I am of the Knights under Commander Delano's order," the man told him in a cautious voice. Delano's command, Link thought weakly, relief relaxing his tense muscles. Link heard him shift somewhere in the back of the cave. "Now tell me of your identity, or I _will _attack."

Link exhaled suddenly, realizing who the man was. This was the knight who had held him at sword-point, and the one who was reprimanded by Delano. He laughed self-consciously, saying, "Oh, thank the Goddesses. I believe we have met. I am the Ordonian that" –Link winced as he said the next words– "you tried to capture. And Delano stopped you. I think we got off to a bad start, good sir; I think we should start over. My name is Link." He pulled his hood off his head to allow what little light there was show Hans his face.

A crackle sounded near the man, and firelight suddenly lit up in the back of the cave as the man successfully started a fire. It revealed the very man that Link suspected him to be. Hylian armour clinked as he shifted again, and his black hair was slick with sweat. He looked completely transformed from when Link saw him only earlier in the day; his face was gaunt and bloody. Link couldn't be sure if the blood was Hans' own. The pity for the man made Link feel almost fortunate, though the fact that he held the Triforce of Courage in his hand was about as unlucky as could be while Ganondorf was rising to power. "Ah, yes, the one that Delano took to so quickly," Hans said sourly as he observed Link with evident disdain. "I was a step away from being promoted, you should know, before you swooped in and–" The soldier paused in his whine. "Wait. Who is your friend there?"

It was Link's turn to hesitate. He tried to think quickly, and decided to say, "Will you defend Hyrule in any way you can, Sir Hans?"

Hans looked horrified to even be asked the question. "Of course I will! I am a true Hylian!" he swore, his hand by his heart. "That's why I want to rise up in the ranks of the army, to better defend our beautiful land. I would never…" The guard stopped again, and began to rant at Link. "Bah! Stop avoiding the question. Who is the other cloaked one, I say?"

Link's voice lowered, as if Ganondorf was within earshot. "Her name is Zelda, knight," he said.

Taken aback, Hans could only stare at Link in shock. "Y… You're kidding!" he exclaimed, almost incoherent. "A villager pest like you… saving a Princess… impossible…"

Having been used to being insulted because of his home by Zelda, Link carefully avoided insulting him back. "Queen," he corrected, "not Princess."

Hans's face hardened. "Is that even possible? That she's still married to that freak that destroyed his own wedding?" he asked, incredulity filling his tone. "I doubt the marriage is legitimate; they didn't sign papers in front of the priest. The vows weren't completed, and they certainly didn't get to the rings. They looked like they would kill themselves before making contact with each other." He shook his head, wariness returning to him again. "Wait! How do I know you aren't just telling me this so that I won't–"

Rolling his eyes at the paranoia of Hans, Link leaned down to gently pull back the hood from the lady's face, and the reappearance of her beauty shocked him again. He noticed with a jolt that even though he was so near Zelda, his hand did not pain as it did before. He tried to find a reason why, but Hans' large mouth could not hold his words in. "Oh Goddesses," he said, suddenly a bit afraid to even be near Zelda. He scuttled away on his hand and feet like a crab, edging to the very back of the cave. "I've never been this close to her before. Everyone keeps saying what an ogress she is, so I always stayed away, and even from my distance I could hear her rant at her inferiors. But now she's asleep, and I can actually see her pure beauty without it being tainted by her nagging words. And this cave… it makes me feel… too near her."

_My thoughts exactly,_ thought Link in silent agreement.

"Anyway, Ordonian," Hans began to speak again, though not taking his eyes off Zelda's face, "what brings you into this dank cave? Trying to take advantage of the Princess?"

Link's blood began to boil furiously; perhaps Hans had spoken badly of Zelda's behaviour, but his own was not far off from hers. However, Link suspected he heard jealousy in Hans' words. "First, I would never," replied Link stiffly, "and second, she's not a Princess. She's a Queen now."

"Doubt it," yawned the soldier, his attention finally torn away from the Queen. "She might or might not be married, but she's not exactly likely to sit on her throne and rule alongside Ganondorf, now is she? From what I see of you right now, you and Zelda are running away."

Link sighed. Hans was right. "Perhaps, but it is proper to show manners and respect."

"I'll tell you now, village-man, it isn't easy when the exact opposite of _manners and respect_ is shown to you. A friend of mine got exiled from Hyrule's towns and villages just for saying one word back at the Princess. It was a pretty offensive one word, I know, but when you have those insults thrown at you like the Princess throws 'em, you couldn't really blame the guy." Hans rubbed his hands for warmth, edging nearer to the fire. "So, Ling–"

"It's Link," he said patiently, back to watching the fields through the tiny entrance. Cold water trickled through the opening, running off from the grass and seeping into the cloth of his villager clothes, but Link had to watch. Delano or Sheik could be coming any second now.

"Yeah, Link, whatever," Hans waved it off, "that wedding sure was happy, huh?" He laid his spear on the ground beside him, wiping blood off it with an already red-soaked cloth. "Outside, there were dozens of giant upright pig creatures with giant spears in their hands; didn't know any deformations like those things existed in this world. I just killed 'em when they attacked me. Anyway… what got you the honour of being a guard for the wedding? Pulled some strings with Delano, I see?" Link began to reply, suppressing a bit more anger, but Hans shook his head. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Delano's taking pity on you because of me. You can thank me for that."

The villager thought it wise not to retort, and rightly so. Hans pulled out a cleaner, larger cloth out of a pack, laid it out on the cold ground, and sprawled himself over it. "Watch the fire. Wake me if you're leaving or something big happens; I should be awake for that." With that, he turned his body to face the walls of the cave and slept in the warmth of the crackling fire.

Link remained in his position for the next half hour as Hans dozed, simply scanning the Faron Field for an action of any kind. Oftentimes he would see massive monsters that fitted Hans' descriptions entering and exiting the fields, roving them, sniffing around with their snouts and following trails they found. Sometimes, the pigs would come dangerously near the cave, and, heart beating as quickly as Epona's legs ran, he would retreat to a far corner of the cave. But the creatures never entered the cave, or never even tried; perhaps the rain had somewhat warped the scent. He desperately hoped they hadn't found Epona. If they were minions of Ganondorf, and likely it was they were, they would take her for their masters. Soon after about ten minutes, the pigs left the field altogether. However, there remained no sign of either Delano or Sheik, which worried him. He understood if Sheik had not escaped, but Delano surely must have been able to leave unscathed.

And he didn't know why, but he always found his eyes drifting toward Zelda.

He couldn't help it at all; it was like she had a magnetic pull with his eyes. It horrified him every time he caught himself staring at her still uncovered face. He hated this woman! So _why _did he keep looking at her? For some strange reason, he couldn't bring himself just to put her hood back on again, and he hated both her and himself for it. However, there was one thing that he allowed himself to think: Why hadn't she woken? Had Rusl prepared the mist a bit too potently? Link shivered to think about what would happen to his honour if people found out that he had administered a too-strong sleep on her. They would kill him, perhaps, but worst of all was that his honour would be utterly tarnished.

Just as he thought this, she stirred, letting out a quiet groan. Link waited patiently as she took her time to open her eyes. When they fluttered open and stared back at Link, he was again taken by her eyes, her sea blue eyes. But again, no pain stung his hand.

"Queen Zelda, you're finally awake," Link said, tearing his eyes away from her naturally glaring ones, preoccupying his gaze by checking for people in the fields. "How are you feeling?"

For a second she said nothing, just staring at him. And when she did open her mouth, Link almost thought a bomb had gone off outside the cave.

"_YOU_!" she screamed at him in the darkness, coming forward and shoving him backwards in a rather unfeminine manner. His breath came out in a whoosh as his back was pushed into a wall of the cave. "You gave me that _poison _that I inhaled! You were going to kill me, weren't you?! It was just _lucky _I woke up, you little twit, and you brought me into this… this _rat-hole–_"

"So, Princess, you're awake," said a grumpy voice from the back of the cave. Zelda let out a scream, this time of fear, and immediately scrambled for the light that crept through the opening of the cave. Letting out a sound of exasperation, Link took a hold of her hood, restraining her from leaving. The completely terrified woman made a choking sound as the cloak was pulled to her airway and stopped in her tracks as Link pulled her back to his chest to restrain her with an arm around her waist and covered her mouth with a firm hand. Zelda kicked and screamed into his hand uselessly, Link's hold being too strong for the noblewoman.

"I'm blessed if Ganondorf isn't outside this cave at the very moment from having heard this woman's voice from the castle," commented the soldier dryly, half disappointed and half amused that his presence had scared her out of her skin. He came forward from his corner to help prevent Zelda's fingernails from scratching Link.

"I have to agree with you there," Link laughed as Zelda continued to thrash, who was trying to speak through his hand about how they were on Ganondorf's side all along. "Queen Zelda, you must cooperate with us or we won't release you," he told her as she desperately tried to fight her way out.

"Traitors! This is treason!" was what Link interpreted her muffled words as.

"If you really want me to pick up that mist again and use it on you again…" Link casually warned. Not that he had any of it left anymore, but the threat was clear. Almost instantly Zelda ceased her struggle. He watched her cautiously as she jerked away from his grasp, suddenly realizing how _close _to each other they had been. He suddenly wished he had been in Hans's position instead of his own, knowing fully well that the soldier would've gladly switched places. Link looked at Hans now, and one glance at the guard showed just how jealous he was.

"You filthy mongrels, blast the lot of you. How many of you are here? How many of you restrained me as you did?" she snarled at them, retreating to the farthest corner.

"It's just me and Limp here, Princess," Hans yawned, going back to the corner where he had slept. Link didn't bother to correct him. "Now if you don't mind, Your Highness, I believe it would be wise to stay a bit quieter, if you don't mind my saying so. You just might wake all of Hyrule." Even as he finished his sentence, Hans quickly drifted off into slumber.

"Mongrels," the woman muttered again. She stared straight at Link, who fought not to squirm under her piercing gaze. Even in her now dirt-stained dress and her wild hair, she was still annoyingly beautiful. "If I still had power, you would be dead already for holding me so close. I advise you to keep your distance, outsider, or when I ascend to power again you might find your head being sliced off. And no one will cry." She turned away from him and shifted closer to the fire, her shaking hands coming forward to warm themselves.

"_If_ you ascend to power again," Link said, and then, sleep came to him without warning. He slumped back to the wall of the cave, eyes closed, breathing evenly.

Zelda stopped her eye lock with the fire and her eyes went to Link. Her hatred of him wavered a bit as she watched him sleep. She couldn't understand why, and hated herself for it.

"I _will_ come to the throne again. For my father," she whispered to no one in particular. "Just you watch."

She fell asleep long after she spoke her quiet oath.

* * *

Back in the Castle, the Dark Interlopers were having a hard time to calm down and straighten out.

"Majora, that wall has already been knocked down, you ignorant brute. Stop punching the remains like some dumb fool and do something useful for once!" snarled the Sorceress of Shadows, Veran. Though Vaati was Ganondorf's obvious favourite, Veran was proud of her title of second in command of the Dark Interlopers. Majora simply growled savagely at her, then inhumanly fast and strong, it hurled a huge piece of the wall at the hated woman. Rolling her eyes, she only turned away as an unseen magic of hers sent the wall flying back at the masked monster. Majora deftly leapt away from the marble, its mask's cold eyes staring at Veran with hatred.

"You, shadow kid, stop lazing around and do something!" Veran pointed at Shadow, who was still leaning a somewhat intact pillar. It even seemed as though he slept, though she knew he heard her words. "Your light counterpart escaped with the Queen; you should be making up for your mistake now. You should've sensed his intentions!"

One of Shadow's eyes snapped open, and the crimson eye looked at Veran. "Yeah, yeah… Oh, and… Majora's throwing stuff at you again," he yawned, gesturing vaguely at something behind her and he shut the eye again.

Unleashing a shriek of rage, she whirled around and zapped the marble with a deadly flaming red lightning bolt that lashed out of her hand. The marble disintegrated into a small pile of dust. "Majora, get over yourself! Just because I'm second in command doesn't mean you can throw giant slabs of rock at the back of my head!" she said. Her form flickered, and what replaced it was a massive purple spider that loomed above Majora malevolently. The spider thrust its terrifying face right in front of Majora's mask. "Don't make me kill you like I did Onox," a venomous, rumbling voice came from within the spider. Majora simply stared back at the spider defiantly through the eyes of the mask.

"Calm down, Majora's a good boy. Killing it would be _such_ a waste," Shadow grinned, finally coming away from the pillar. He came over to Majora and patted the monster's muscular arm. It was almost funny that such a laidback person was patting such a stiff brutal monster.

"Shadow, we don't even _know_ if it's a boy," Veran said with disgust, a brief flare of light returning her to her human form.

"Well, of course I know that," Shadow said sarcastically. "It doesn't sound nearly as good to say that Majora's a good monster. Where's the fun in that?"

"Oh shut up, you fool," snapped Veran. She started to stalk away, but Shadow followed her as Majora slinked away into the halls of the castle. "I don't know why I bother trying to command you people to do something useful. You should be looking up to me, seriously. Twinrova actually does things too; remember how she made the Interlopers so much more organized when she helped me kill Onox? Vaati is even useful. He's actually going after your light self, _Dark Link._"

A wry smile tweaked Dark Link's lips as she mentioned his real identity. "Yeah, I know, I know, you're saying you and Vaati are the only useful ones around, but we both know Ganondorf directed me not to make contact with ol' noble, righteous, boring Link unless instructed to. And I am supposed to be of use when it comes down to the time."

"Just… just _do_ something instead of lean on some random pillar!"

"Anything for you, sweetheart."

Veran rolled her eyes as she approached Ganondorf, who was pacing the floor in front of the throne, and Zant, who was trying to placate him. Her tone becoming comforting and less shrill, (an effect that made Dark Link smirk) she said to the new King of Hyrule, "Don't be afraid, my lord. Vaati is diligent in pursuit, and he should be back soon with the two of the Triforce bearers."

He shook his head. "It's not that I have not confidence in Vaati's ability. I am just wondering why he is taking so long. The Wind Sorcerer is… wily in his ways."

Dark Link snorted. "You're saying you think Vaati's going to betray you?" he said rather bluntly.

"It's a likely possibility, Shadow, thank you very much. Perhaps I should send Twinrova to look for him," Ganondorf pondered, fingering his chin. "I think I've given him too many liberties with power."

"I wouldn't doubt the chances of his betrayal," sniffed the King of Twilight, "as that Minish is so power-thirsty he'd try to dig the Triforce out of your hand with a shovel if it meant he could gain your strength."

"Now, now, Zant, Vaati may have done you some wrong in the past–"

"Some wrong!" Zant cried. "Some wrong! He threatened to take my land by disguising himself as me! You call that some wrong?"

"Just remember we can't afford to allow Vaati running around with information about our little group," Ganondorf reminded him lightly. "Would you want the fact that you took advantage of the to-be Princess of the Twilight to be flitting around? Hmm?"

Dark Link straightened, his ears ready to hear anything negative about his fellow Interlopers. "What'd you say?" he laughed, pointing at Zant. "You raped a candidate of royalty of your homeland? That's sad, Zant, even for you."

It was a good thing none could see Zant's face under the ugly lizard helm. "I needn't answer your questions. I'll go after Vaati." With that parting response, his body broke up into twilight clouds and rose through the ceiling of the throne room.

Ganondorf looked at Dark Link with amusement in his eyes. "Another Interloper rivalry; what fun."


	6. Reunion

Chapter 6: Reunion

Delano deftly sidestepped the jab of the Moblin's spear, thrusting his own blade forward at the pig-monster's chest. He spoke an alien word, and invisible lightning sparked down the length of the blade, electrocuting the monster. The Moblin could only grunt stupidly before it fell to the ground, dead. The Commander jerked his sword out of the Moblin's heart, swinging it just in time for the blade to cleave a Lizalfos's head off. He hadn't even the time to watch it fall to the ground. A light haired, emerald eyed young woman dressed in a worn shirt and trousers stared defiantly at a Lizalfos, without fear, as it rushed up to her and the group of people around her, a rusty sword raised.

There wasn't enough time for Delano to physically come to their aid in time, and the Commander was forced to resort to magic. He knew he would regret breaking his disguise, but he couldn't let a civilian be harmed. His hand thrust forward as though striking someone, and as his hand came forward, a ball of condensed darkness crackling with sparks of orange-yellow energy leapt from his palm. It made contact with the lizard, and it screeched in surprise and pain as it was blown away. The young woman turned her defiant stare at Delano now, and some of the citizens screamed at the sight of magic. Fortunately, the soldiers were too caught up with their battles to have noticed the magic that Delano had used.

He murmured to the young lady, "Please don't be afraid. I fight for Hyrule."

Before the lady could respond, one of his soldiers, sweaty from the fight, arrived at his side. "Commander Delano! There are just too many! We'll just have to escort this group out, and that'll be all we can do! No one else can get help from us at this rate!"

"Right, soldier," he replied as he stabbed another Moblin in the gut, his sword infused with more invisible energy. The Moblin slid to the ground as Delano continued, "Back me up. I'll take them out the south passage; it's closest to here. Cover me! Make sure to ensure each other's' safety! Tell the remaining soldiers I wish them the best of luck!"

"Roger!"

His enhanced sword knocked another monster away as Delano made his way to the woman and the group of Hylians with her. Delano looked at everyone's faces: grim, scared, even angry. Emotions were haywire right now. The group consisted of about ten people, and the Commander vowed to them, "Everyone, I promise you that we will escape the city unharmed. But we must move quickly to the south passage. Quickly, now!"

All of them were frightened now, there was no doubt. The prospect of trusting a magician wasn't very appealing. The woman, who seemed to come forward as their leader, still stared at him stubbornly, untrusting. "Trust me, milady. Everyone. I cannot let you be harmed," the Commander pleaded.

She only looked at him, nodded, and unsheathed a small dagger seemingly out of nowhere. "Yes," she agreed as she sliced at the Lizalfos sneaking behind her. The lizard screamed and tried to hit her with a scaly claw, but she smashed the butt of her dagger into the monster's forehead powerfully. The blow was more forceful than it had anticipated and it staggered back. She plunged the blade into the same place where she had struck it, a sickening crack of its skull in the air, and swiftly pulled out her blade again. As the creature slumped to the ground, she turned to her group and ordered, bloody dagger high in the air, "We trust him!"

The group cheered, and Delano smiled.

"They call me Ilia," she introduced herself, with a small curtsy, a charming smile on her face. It was an awkward curtsy, as she wore trousers rather than a skirt, but graceful nonetheless.

"And I am–"

"No need for that, Commander Delano. You're too well known to need introduction. My friends told me of your identity already."

They tore through the streets as the rain fell on them, the combined strength of Delano's magic and Ilia's striking dagger protecting all from harm. Delano constantly found himself being saved by Ilia's short sword, and every time she intervened, she winked at him mischievously. "Even the magicians need help sometimes," she would grin. The help went both ways, however, as Delano's magic had been the main protection of the group. He could tell Ilia was one of the only people in the group that was accustomed to weaponry and self-defense; the others could not help but let loose screams when a monster was eliminated.

It wasn't long before the screams stopped though, as Delano and Ilia's teamwork and leadership had carried them through the south passage. They stood at the top of the Faron Fields, and Delano gave them survival instructions. "Listen to me, all of you," he whispered to them as though worried an enemy was eavesdropping. "The Castle Town will be far too dangerous for you to return in the near future. Perhaps we shall retake it, perhaps not. But we should focus on your lives first."

Their heads bobbed weakly.

All pretences gone as they had seen him defend them with his magic, Delano snapped his fingers, and darkness from nearby shadows gathered in tiny squares to form a map in his hand like a jigsaw puzzle, and black bloomed into colour. He spread it out, his finger already on a dot, which represented a city or village. "Head to Kakariko Village if you want amnesty. Talk to Renado, the shaman, and tell him everything that's happened. Don't leave any details, and tell him Commander Delano sent you. Take this map; I won't need it. I'll be able to make one anyway. Head _straight_ to the village, you hear me? Avoid any other people you encounter, whether they are Zora, Goron, Hylian… or anything else. Are you all armed? The fields are dangerous." Half-heartedly, the people showed him bows, knives, and other weapons. "Good. Now–"

"Wait," Ilia interrupted, not caring about rudeness. "If I live in Ordon, would it not make sense just to go back to Ordon? I could take everyone with me, and we would all be safe. It's closer to here, and the landscape is easier to travel on, even without counting monsters." The people around her looked uneasy, as if repelled by the prospect of leaving Hyrule, even if to a tiny province on the outskirts of it.

Delano stared at her. "Ordon?" he said.

The girl nodded, a bit confused at Delano's bewilderment. "Yes. The others are from the Castle Town. My father knows some of them, so I met them here for the wedding." Her voice faltered on the word 'father,' undoubtedly brooding on the horrible scene in her mind.

"Ordon?" he asked again, just to make sure. "Ordon Village?"

Ilia huffed in frustration, her hands on her hips. She looked up at the storm clouds warily as she answered, "Yes, Ordon Village, in the Ordona Province! Why does that strike you as odd?"

"Do you, by any chance, know a Sir Link of the Ordon Village?" Delano chanced.

He didn't know the likelihood of them knowing each other, but his hunch wasn't off. Her face snapped downwards, and her eyes bored into his with an almost frightening intensity. "What? You met Link? He's supposed to be returning to Ordon right now, from the sword delivery!" she demanded, her face twisting into one of anger. "I _told _him not to get into any trouble!"

"Yes, but Link was doing me a favour. A royal guard and I helped him out of trouble with the Princess Zelda, and–"

"The snooty, snobby Princess Zelda?" Ilia's mood changed temporarily to the point where she could giggle.

"You bet," Delano laughed. "Actually, it seemed like he found her attractive; he was blushing madly the whole time." Noting a hint of despair in Ilia's face at this point, he dared to ask, "Make you jealous at all?"

She herself blushed a dark shade of crimson, and she defended, "Not at all! Link's an old friend, not a–"

"Yeah, yeah," the Commander waved it off with a chuckle, already knowing the rest of it. "Anyway, he decided to pay us back for the help, and he served as a makeshift security guard for the wedding."

Ilia was silent for a moment. All of the people around her looked at their 'leader' anxiously, wondering what was wrong with her. "Where…" She licked her lips. "Where is he now?"

Delano detected a hint of protective quality to her tone, and he guessed that this Ilia girl was Link's love interest. Or something like that. "I'm supposed to meet him now," he said, "and he told me to meet him somewhere in Faron Fields. He could be watching even as we speak."

"Take me with you." It was an order, not a request.

He looked at her with surprise. She looked back at him with that defiant look of hers, already familiar to him even though she hadn't known him for more than an hour. "I thought you were with them," he argued, pointing at the others. "You have to stay to defend them. They might not make it without your blade to carry them through the fields, you know."

It almost worked on her; she hesitated, looking back at her friends, and also at the total strangers she had defended. "Will you guys be able to make it without me…?" she mumbled, guilty that she wanted to leave.

An older woman told her, "Ilia, follow your heart. We might or might not make it, but you should meet with this Link of yours. He seems very important to you. And besides, we have a warrior's faith, something that those villains don't have!" The others agreed half-heartedly, like they weren't so sure.

It seemed, though, that Ilia didn't like the woman's choice of words. "I told you, he isn't…" she began with a violent shade of red in her face, but she stopped herself, shaking her head in resignation. "Whatever, then. He _is_ important to me."

"But, Ilia," Delano began to protest again, "if you come with me, you might never find peace. I might be wrong about thinking this, but… I think that if you come with us, you… you might be joining a Resistance."

At this, everyone else's eyes flicked to Delano's face to see if he was speaking his true opinion. When they found no trace of doubt in his face, they all gasped in shock. "You're serious?" one of the young men asked, crossing his arms. "Didn't you just see that display that Ganondorf pulled for us? He has seven buddies that don't sound so nice. That's an understatement, by the way. They'll fry you to bits! That Twinrova woman looked seriously _violent_." All headed bobbed up and down in agreement, save for Delano's and Ilia's.

"It may be a lost cause. It's a good cause as well. But it's dangerous for a lady," Delano warned.

"So that's what you're saying? You're saying I shouldn't join because I'm a woman?" Ilia challenged, her emerald eyes frightening.

Delano immediately defended himself, "No, not at all! You're a talented swordsma – swordswoman, and you would certainly make a good warrior for us, but I want you to be fully aware of what you're charging into for Link. If you go with them" –Delano gestured at the people– "you will find peace and live a calm life in either Kakariko or Ordon."

Her eyes flashed again at this point. "Don't forget to mention that the Ganondorf and his pets, the Dark Interlopers, will destroy everyone and everything. That kind of counters everything you just said, you know. If no one joins this Resistance, no one lives through Ganondorf's reign. And face it: you were going to lead me to Link anyway."

The Commander only stared at her. She was such a capable woman: amazing swordsmanship, incredible mind, not to mention she was pretty. But she was almost aggressively stubborn, Delano thought grimly. Link was lucky to have known her as a childhood friend. "Fine," was all he said. He turned to the others. "Remember my advice."

A pause.

"Who are you?" a small girl in the group asked with some fright. With some pity, Delano realized that the young people were still spooked by the display of his magic, and even more so by the deaths caused by the magic he had.

He thought long about how to answer. He thought about his destroyed homeland and what terrible situation it had left him in. He thought about his Princess, and he thought about that traitor that had torn everything away from him. He thought about the mission he was on right now, and thought about Link. "I don't know anymore," he answered honestly. "I can only tell you that I am a friend."

Then he turned to Ilia, ignoring the strange looks coming to him from the audience. "Shall we?" he asked her.

* * *

"Princess, Limp, there's a whole group of people coming out from the Castle Town," announced Hans, proud that he had been the one to find something. "They don't look like monsters, either. They look normal! Hylian!"

With a jolt, Link sat up from his slumber with a surprising amount of energy. Even though the Princess slept by the opening by the cave (claiming that she couldn't stand the 'musty mossy air of the back of the cave'), Link got to the opening first. He peered through it, and his gaze fell upon a rather large group of people. Indeed, they looked normal enough to be escaping civilians. "Wait here," was all he said as he pulled himself through the opening.

"You idiot villager, come back here right now! You don't even know if they–" the angry Zelda tried to order, but Link was already out of earshot, stepping quickly through the shadows of the trees. He stuck close to the trees so that they couldn't see him approach, travelling quickly toward the group of people. Soon, he was just outside of earshot of them, but he dared not go closer before he confirmed Delano or Sheik was there. He stayed at the side of the tree opposite to the group, and Link's head popped out so that he could see them.

The words weren't heard distinctly, but the tone of the conversation sounded like one of a debate. It continued until one side resigned to the opinion of the others, and an agreement was reached. All but two of them headed towards Link's direction. Heart beating quickly, he grabbed onto the tree and pulled himself onto the branches. The tree barely bothered by his weight, he waited silently as they passed, going toward another passage out of the Faron Province, weapons at the ready.

The other two seemed to sigh as they strolled slightly closer to Link's tree. He could now see that one was a woman and one a man. His heart sank; this meant only one of the two men he was to meet was here. Link leaned forward on the branches, straining to hear until they finally came close enough. "I wonder where he is. He directly told me to come here," said the man in frustration. Link thought he felt familiarity, but still he wasn't sure.

"You know, it _would _make sense for him to hide. There are probably soldiers everywhere searching for him and Princess – I mean, Queen Zelda. Moblins perhaps, with their pet Lizalfos." A shiver went down Link's spine as he realized that woman was talking about him as if they were close companions. And what in Hyrule were Moblins? "And Link has always been the cautious one, so it doesn't really surprise me," she said in a carefree manner. Link's jaw opened without him even realizing. Was that woman…?

"So what _is _your relationship with ol' Link anyway, if you know him so well?" the man asked.

Link held his breath as she answered after a moment of thought: "We're best friends. Childhood friends. That's all. …Don't you dare get any wrong ideas," she said coldly, and Link immediately confirmed it was her. That headstrong childhood friend of his.

The man paused, then snickered. "I bet you wished you weren't just friends," he smirked.

_Yep, that's Delano alright,_ thought Link with certainty and dismay_._

Ilia scoffed. "I would never look at Link that way. He's like… He's like an older brother to me." With some simultaneous amusement and horror, Link thought he heard some embarrassment under the mask of denial.

"Whatever you say," shrugged Delano, "but you act like–"

"Stop," the angry Ordon girl said, "just stop."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Delano returned in a nasal tone.

Ilia's cold demeanour dropped and she laughed melodically.

Link's eyebrows met. How did Ilia know Delano? It was strange to think they had just met; they seemed as close as Ilia was with Link. Unexpected jealousy entered his mind, and the surprise of it made him lose his balance and he cursed as he fell to the ground right behind Delano and Ilia. Their responses were nothing alike; Ilia had screamed, dagger out and already near Link's neck. Delano had simply turned and smiled. "I saw you there years ago," the Commander mocked him. "And smooth entrance, by the way."

"Why thank you," Link said sarcastically. He sat up and yanked Ilia's dagger out of her grasp. "Lose the blade, Ilia, and tell me why in Din's fiery hell you're here, and how in Her Abyss you know him," he said, jabbing his finger at Delano, who grinned.

Ilia only stared at him in wonder. "How long were you in that tree?" she asked in bewilderment instead of answering, a blush staining her cheeks.

"Like Delano said, _years_," he grumbled, reluctantly handing her the blade back, almost sure she would plunge it into him for staying at Hyrule for longer than necessary. He cursed Delano silently for talking about him to Ilia in _front_ of him on purpose.

Contrary to his expectations, she only asked him, "Where's the Princess? Er, Queen, I mean?"

"Let's discuss things in my humble hiding place," Link said, and he stormed off toward the cave, trying to block out Delano's mirthful laughter from his ears.

* * *

Link's body slid into the cave suddenly, startling the Princess/Queen to the point of screaming. Hans, quite dutifully, pinched her lips together with his fingers so her scream became a demented muffle of sound.

"Calm down, Princess," Hans yawned exaggeratedly, relishing the fact that he could make fun of royalty in these conditions. "It's only Ling and the Commander he picked up from outside. And, it seems, a girlfriend as well," he reassured her as Delano tumbled inside as gracefully as an unsteady baby deer. Link pulled him out of the way to let Ilia slide inside expertly.

"So it should seem. And watch what you do with my mouth, you nasty soldier, or you'll be forced to eat dirt for the next few nights. What comes around goes around. Greetings to you, Commander," the arrogant woman nodded to Delano, who quickly stood and bowed in response. "Glad to see you made it out… unscathed, I presume?" She removed the hood from her head to let him see her beautiful face.

"Yes, My Queen," Delano bowed again.

Zelda bristled in response to hear the 'Queen' title being used for her. "No one shall dare call me Queen, you hear? There is no way that I am legally bound to that blasted false king; therefore, I am still a Princess as I cannot become Queen without a suitor. Is this clear? I shall be known as a Princess, not a Queen," she asserted.

Numbly, the three others nodded, no one quite knowing how to respond to this act of defiance. Silence followed the Princess's harsh words until she finally noticed the newcomer. "You, what's your name? Hometown?" she pointed her finger almost accusingly at her.

"My name is Ilia, Your Highness, from the humble village of Ordon," the Ordonian girl curtsied politely with as much respect she could muster. Link cringed, quite acquainted with what Princess Zelda's response would be by now. "I would hope that our introduction would be in more pleasant conditions, but considering the situation I believe it cannot be done. It is an honour to meet Your Ladyship, even in the circumstances." Link was taken aback at Ilia's fanciful language; he didn't know she was so good with words. Or that she could use so many of them at once.

Apparently the Princess was surprised as well, as she took a moment to reply, "Well, at least you know your place and who to respect. A pleasure, Miss Ilia."

Ilia's head bowed, taking the comment as a compliment rather than an insult, and wisely so. "The pleasure is all mine, Your Grace." Link could barely hide his shock that the Princess had so easily accepted a 'lowly' foreigner, and further, a female villager. From the astonished looks on Delano and Hans's faces, he knew the others were also taken by surprise by this rare act of kindness.

However, Princess Zelda was not quite done with the stranger. "Well, Ilia, if I may ask, why have you come to this dark cave? Why do you think yourself worthy of joining us? You do know what kind of people we are, do you not? We are gathering people to strike back at Ganondorf" –she spat out the name– "so the Royal Family may have its power returned," she said, though her tone wasn't hostile–toward Ilia anyway. Her words could have been interpreted as rude, but Link sensed she was merely curious.

"Your Highness, I apologize if my coming here was unexpected," was the cautious reply, "but your Commander graciously protected a group of civilians, myself being one of them, and led us out of the Castle Town. We all escaped… unscathed, as you put it. After some discussion, Delano came to know that I am from Ordon, and from there, correctly deduced that I knew Link, the sword deliverer."

He winced. Those were points against Ilia.

The Princess stayed quiet, silently urging Ilia to continue. "From there, I knew I would be safer than fleeing to Kakariko, as I knew more people here than in that village. I do realize that we will be fighting against powerful, dangerous people, but that called me here even more. Even though Hyrule is not my birthplace, I know if she falls, so does Ordon Village. I also think I will be of some use to you; I am well trained with the sword, contrary to most people's expectations. So I told Delano to bring me here. The others left for the Eldin Province to find sanctuary in Kakariko Village and, well, I'm sure you know that," she fought back a giggle, much to Link's annoyance, "Link found us and brought us here."

Zelda stayed silent still, and it stayed uncomfortably so until she replied with a rare, rare smile, "We'll see to your proficiency, Miss Ilia, but do know I am glad you have decided to join us."

Ilia curtsied again, while the men stared in absolute astonishment.

Apparently satisfied by Ilia's answers, Zelda turned to Delano. "Commander, please give your report to us. What is the state of the Castle Town now?" Her inquiry was full of authority, but underneath it was an understandable amount of dread.

"…Milady, it has most definitely been taken," he told her simply.

From what Link could see of her face, all colour drained away from it. She closed her eyes, and said, "Would you care to elaborate? And do not spare the details, Delano, I must know."

"But, Your Highness, you–"

"Tell me," she ordered, eyes flashing dangerously as they opened into a glare.

Delano's eyes saddened, and he looked pensive, which caused Link to wonder what exactly what he was thinking about. "Very well," was his reply. What followed was a _very_ detailed description of what had become of the town. The fountain had long been smashed, the water flooding out without anywhere to go. The majority of the buildings on the rich side of town were aflame and had been looted, as well as a few of the poorer abodes. Delano's account confirmed that the pig-like monsters were what Ilia had referred to as Moblins, the soldiers that belonged to the Dark Interlopers. As he didn't know what had become of the glorious Castle, he didn't mention it, and Link feared Sheik's fate.

He continued with the prediction of fates of both the commoners and nobles: perhaps all dead, save for a few of the braver, stronger groups of them. The soldiers had most likely fallen or fled by now, even with their valiant spirits. He did not mention the late King of Hyrule.

By the time Delano was finished his account, Zelda was positively trembling. Ilia had taken her hand soothingly like a sister, and by some strange magic, Zelda accepted the comfort from her. When Delano fell into silence, the Princess slowly recollected herself.

"What are we to do now?" she whispered, and Link had never thought he would see her like this: fragile, wounded, and weak.

Link almost banged his head on the wall of the cave when he belatedly remembered a vital piece of information: he had not told anyone that he had promised Sheik that they would wait for him. He shifted over to the opening of the cave, searching for the sun; his mood severely dropped as he realized that Sheik had only four hours left. He turned back to the group to find that they were all looking at him with confused looks on their faces. "I'm sorry for not telling you this, but I agreed to wait for Sheik for twelve hours, to see if he would survive and escape. Four hours are left for him to come."

Zelda whirled on him, his face twisting into one of utter rage. "You thought that _that _wasn't worth telling us?" she growled.

"In the midst of all that action, I forgot to tell you, that's all!" Link defended himself, not caring that he was contradicting royalty. As if she could really do anything to him right now.

"Yes, all that action of waiting in this blasted cave for those eight hours that passed by. Poor you, you must've lost your mind in that _action_," she retorted with a rather unladylike snort.

"I apologize for your actions, Princess. Your constant whining and complaining had purged it out of my mind!"

"Even I thought higher of your villager intellect!"

"Even I thought higher of your skills of _not _being a whiny, annoying–!"

"Silence!" Delano's voice boomed. The Princess and the villager both obeyed Delano's demand, all the while glaring furiously at each other. Ilia (and Hans) couldn't help but giggle like schoolgirls. "That's better. We can't argue right now. Link, you told Sheik to come to Faron?"

"Yes," Link confirmed, turning away from the Princess with pleasure, "and he told us to leave immediately after the twelve hours passed."

"But to _where_?" Hans said. "We've nowhere to go! We can't settle into a city or town, as the Princess would get attention. What do we do, just stay on the run? Just keep running away from civilization?"

"We have to build a proper Resistance," Ilia asserted firmly. "Perhaps the Princess can't enter a town or city, but the rest of us can. We can collect people from settlements around Hyrule, let them join us, let them fight Ganondorf with us."

"It won't work," Link rebuked her. "We can't be assured that the people we recruit are trustable or not. What if we accidentally get acquainted with a spy? Worse, what if we go into the town and never come back from it? There are people who protect the cities, and those people might be suspicious of us. Hell, they have every reason to!"

Delano's arms crossed over his chest. His accented voice gave a suggestion: "Perhaps we should send someone into the Castle quietly to find someone who is on our side. Someone who was forced to follow the Interlopers' orders. We need information, or we'll be striking at an iron wall without knowing its weaknesses."

"It's too dangerous!" Hans told him. "We'd be killed. Haven't you seen those guys kill people? They're… frightening. That Majora monster was…" He couldn't even say anything through his shuddering.

Link's back rested on the wall of the cave. "Maybe we should just wait first. We're just going to argue, so let's think about it later. Besides, Sheik is obviously the smartest out of all of us. Maybe he'll have a plan." And with that, his eyes closed. He did not mention the chance that Sheik might not come at all.

Ilia laughed as the others ignored him, all of them continuing to debate on how to best take the next step. She scooted away from the now heated discussion to Link, whose eyes stayed closed as he said to her, "Let them ignore me. I'll be resting while their argument becomes physical, and they'll regret it."

She smiled, sitting side-by-side to him against the wall, listening to the others bicker. Ilia suddenly remembered how much she had missed him for the little time he had been away, and she was glad to be in his presence again. The two had grown so attached that Ilia now realized that their responsibilities as adults now would come between them, and she worried. But she didn't plan on showing it.

"So, have you forgiven me yet?" Link began suddenly, eyes still closed.

Ilia looked at him, her head cocked to the side. "I beg your pardon?" she said.

"Wasn't I supposed to stay out of nonsense that was 'out of my league'? I half expected you to still stab me with your dagger when you found out it was me, after so gracefully landing from my fall."

"There's nothing to forgive," she said softly instead of laughing at his sarcasm. "I expected you to be mad at me for coming to the Castle Town for the wedding."

"Well, I didn't make you promise anything."

They were silent as Hans gave a long speech about why the five of them should have left the cave already.

"Hey, Link," she said to him in a low voice so that the others wouldn't hear. She didn't have to, anyway; Zelda was already shouting at Hans. "Do you trust Delano? Would you trust him with your life?"

His eyes snapped open, and they searched her face for her expression. "Of course I do, and I would trust him with my life. There's this quality to him I can't explain, and I have known him for a day, but… my instinct tells me that he's on our side. And my instinct is sharp as a wolf's. …Why? You don't think he's trustworthy?" His eyes had a strange look in them, a mixture of emotions.

She realized that he might not know about Delano's abilities. "You don't know about what he can do, do you?" she asked him with wide eyes.

Link noted her alertness with apprehension. "What? What did he do to you?" he almost shouted, his eyes flashing like the flickering fire in the cave.

She shook her head, a finger to her lips to signal that he was getting too loud, glancing at the others, who hadn't taken notice of their conversation. "He didn't do anything to _me,_ Link, but he… has," she hesitated, then whispered, "magic."

He stared at her blankly.

"You should have seen him kill the Moblins, Link. Balls of shadow magic shooting from his palm, blasting heads open. He even put magic on his sword to make it that much more lethal," Ilia murmured, eyeing Delano. "He could betray us all, quick as a wink. He could kill us all, too, and something tells me he could be an Interloper. He could capture the Princess and bring her back, if he wanted to."

Link considered the chance that she was pulling his leg, but he knew Ilia, and Ilia wasn't kidding right now. He felt confused that she didn't mention capture of himself, and suddenly realized that, although the Princess was outspokenly wanted, he was not pinpointed as Zelda was. Only Ganondorf and perhaps the Dark Interlopers knew who bore the Triforce shards. No one even knew that Zelda had one; they only assumed that she would be pursued because she was the last of the Royal Family. "Something tells me he doesn't want to, though," Link said, following her gaze.

"You could be right," she relented a bit, her back relaxing to the dirt wall of the cave. "He _was _using his power to protect us. He did a good job of it, too, with my help of course."

"I'm glad he did. You know, I would have gladly strangled him to death if he had let them get you," he said cheerfully.

Ilia smiled, then edged closer to him to ask quietly, "Are you going to confront him about it then?"

"I think it would be wise not to," he replied, a bit uneasy at her nearness, but he didn't move away. "I still think he's trustworthy, even if he is a magician. Perhaps one day, he'll tell us himself."

"Is he from Hyrule? His features are so different, but handsome, I suppose. His skin and hair colours look so very foreign. Pale, as though he hasn't got enough sunlight lately. And his orange eyes are… indescribable, in a beautiful way, and extremely apart from any other Hylian's." she looked at Delano with admiring eyes.

Link felt a bitter pit of jealousy rise up within him as he answered, "No, he's from some other homeland, but he says it has been destroyed. He came to Hyrule as one of the survivors and happened to rise up the military ranks."

"I see. But did he tell you the name of this mysterious dead land?"

"…No."

"And there's the hint of doubt."

They sat in silence again, now ignoring the others completely as they pondered their situation. Ilia hadn't shifted away from Link, and he didn't mind at all. Her proximity was comforting after the day.

"I'm glad you came." The words were out of Link's mouth before he thought about it, and only after he said them did he realize how horrible that sounded. To Ilia, that could be roughly translated as meaning, 'I'm glad you were almost killed by Moblins and I'm glad you're joining a group of people who might just lead you to your death. I'm _very_ glad!'

Ilia laughed, and Link finally realized how tired she was. She didn't like to show weakness, but Link had grown to know her every hint of emotion in almost unnoticeable gestures. Link analyzed her now: the laugh signalled signs of weariness, and her smile, though sweet as always, was a mask. Link longed to know why, but Ilia talked before he could ask. "And I'm glad I'm with you," she smiled. "I think if Delano hadn't brought me here, I would be way worse off. Of course, I feel guilty for leaving those innocent people to struggle to Kakariko by themselves, but I had to be here."

"Is that why you look so sad?" Link guessed.

Her smile fell from her lips like a rock from the edge of a cliff, and she looked at him, sighing. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"No," he said simply.

She sighed heavily, wayward strands of hair flying as the air caught them. "I guess that's one reason, but…" She paused a moment, looking into Link's concerned eyes, holding her breath like a secret. Link waited patiently for her next words.

Finally, she exhaled. "My father. The Moblins killed him. I watched." The sentences were spoken emotionlessly. They were short and quick, but painful, like pricks of a needle. Ilia's face betrayed no emotion either, and now Link couldn't discern from anything from her face, which worried him.

Her voice continued in a dull drone, and he knew she ought to be sobbing right now if she were an ordinary person. But of course, it was Ilia, easily the toughest person he knew. Link couldn't even remember a time he had seen her cry. "I'm thinking that we're probably not going to see Ordon in a very long time. And they won't have a mayor. And…" She looked up into his eyes for a fleeting moment, and then lowered her eyes again. She shook her head as if trying to get a fly to go away. "But enough of that. I'm… going to sleep. Good night," she said rather brusquely, but Link knew why her demeanour had suddenly changed. His eyes softened a bit, and he nodded as she simply laid down on the ground and her eyes closed.

Link saw her tense muscles gradually ease into slumber, and as they did, the arguing ceased as well. Delano retreated to the corner nearest to the opening of the cave, motioning for Link to rest. Link nodded gratefully at him and went to sleep near the fire, and near Ilia. He didn't notice, of course, that Zelda watched him with soft eyes as he laid down on the ground and his eyes fluttered closed. Nor did he notice that Hans was already dozing off as his back fell to the ground. He only noticed Ilia's face, her features stricken with grief, as he slowly fell asleep.

* * *

"Blast!" The curse reached the Moblin's ears, and the barely educated pig grinned like a stupid fox. Just _wait _until General Zant heard about what he had captured! A live, healthy slave, who was literate! Well, sure, the man had been battered up pretty badly while the boss and his buddies messed around with the wedding, but the slave was okay to work. Most of the time, the Moblin would accidentally crush the slave's head or something, and he wouldn't be able to bring him back to the General. The last time he had brought an unconscious slave to him, Zant had almost burned him to death for his 'stupidity' – whatever he meant by that. But the General always had his reasons, the Moblin thought to himself, thinking himself loyal.

The poor Sheikah struggled in the Moblin's grasp to no avail, and the monster grinned even more widely. "Jus' wait 'til ah've gotchoo to da General Zant, li'l feller. He'll give ya a real good beatin', and den it'll be off ter da sla-aave mines yeh'll go! 'Blast' won' be yer onleh word teh say," he said with glee, sounding like a drunk, uneducated man missing a half dozen teeth. Sheik gritted his teeth at the mention of a Dark Interloper, and, on the hunch that this Moblin's anatomy wasn't drastically different from a Hylian's, he pressed his finger forcefully to a painful pressure point. The Moblin howled, releasing his victim, and before he knew it, Sheik had given a 'good beatin' to his head. Dazed, the monster slumped to the ground, unconscious. Sheik leapt over the body, finally reaching the stables.

It had taken him hours to reach the stables, as Moblins patrolled every path and corner of the castle. Sheik had to wait every half hour for the slow exchange of guards, crouching perfectly still in this bushes like Impa had taught him to so very many years ago, and during the short exchange, he positively flew down the paths toward the stables, diving into a patch of bushes when Moblins came back. Sheik had only been caught this once. Luckily though, the Interlopers' underlings didn't seem nearly as diligent as they were.

He whistled Storm's special call, trying to get the stallion to show himself. "Storm! Where are you? Zelda needs you!"

Responding to Zelda's name instead of his own, the horse lifted his head, looking over the doors of his stall to look for the speaker.

"There you are!" Sheik almost cried in relief that Storm hadn't been harmed; some of the other more rebellious horses were in a horrible condition, whipped mercilessly by the Moblins. He ran to Storm stall, fumbling with the chains on the door as Storm recognized Sheik and tried to knock the door open by throwing his body against the doors. Sheik successfully untangled the chains as Storm knocked into the doors one last time. The horse literally ran into Sheik because of this, and Sheik was knocked to the ground. Just another bit of pain to add to his injuries, Sheik thought grimly, wincing in pain as he leapt to his feet.

The horse whinnied in relief as Sheik patted his snout, strapping a saddlebag with a few possessions onto him. Sheik opened up the next stall as well, revealing a giant, black-and white-coated horse. The horse nearly jumped in surprise as the doors swung open, and he displayed how tame he was by trotting out of his stall in a calm manner, looking at Sheik wearily. The Sheikah grabbed hold of his reins as he mounted Storm. "Don't worry, we're getting you out of hell," Sheik promised the new horse, and he dug his heels into Storm underside, shaking the other horse's reins as well, riding the two horses out of the stables at the fastest speed they could muster.

They flew down the streets, the Moblins barely having enough time to comprehend the fact that an innocent was escaping. Storm and the other horse almost seemed to be challenging each other to a race. In almost no time and with almost no trouble, the hooves soon went out of earshot of any Moblin, long gone from the south exit of the town. Sheik clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the pain that jolted his body by the hard riding.

He steered Storm and the other horse through to the south passage that led to Faron, and the horses without complaint leapt down the stairs with a grace that was unduplicated. Their hooves' strike of sound on the ground turned from clacks to thumps as they went from concrete to grass and dirt, and their speed didn't slow as they raced into the Faron Fields. With a smile at the horses' eagerness, he pulled back a bit on both their reins, and they eventually slowed down to a calm trot, flanks heaving from their full out sprint from the stables. Sheik sighed in relief, feeling the reprieve from the jarring of his body caused by the run.

His eyes scanned the fields for any sign of Link, but he found nothing but the slightly damp grass and swaying trees typical of Hyrule's fields. His body ached and throbbed as if it were whining, asking him where in the bloody hell Link was. Sheik wished he could answer. He considered leaving Faron; it was possible Link and Zelda couldn't wait for him, perhaps being chased by Moblins or such.

Just as he was about to steer the horses to the west exit of Faron in disappointment, his peripheral vision caught sight of a man running over tall grass, heading straight for him. Sheik squinted, and his sight showed him pale skin. His stomach clenched as he thought of Vaati's white skin, but Sheik soon found out that it was Delano, running for him in a warrior's gait. He urged the horses forward, and soon they could speak to one another.

"Commander. Glad to see you've made it," he greeted him, his voice sounding rusty from the lack of water.

"I've made it all right. And so have you, but it seems I should feel lucky," Delano frowned, eyeing the terrible burned patches of skin and clothes on him, as well as the blood still freely flowing from his wounds. "What the devil happened to you, Sheikah?"

"Long story," Sheik said tightly, his stomach hurting even more at the thought of the horrible encounter with Vaati. "I don't want to relive it more than once, so we should talk with the others. If there are others…?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Delano said hastily, accepting the larger horse's reins from Sheik's raw, burned hands. He looked everywhere but at Sheik's sickening injuries. "Link and Zelda are both safe, along with a soldier under my command, and" – Delano grinned widely – "a girlfriend of Link's. A very pretty girlfriend at that."

Despite the pain coursing through every part of his body, Sheik laughed heartily, which caused even more pain. Delano's mischievous tone alone told him so much. "I suppose you've done enough teasing, then? And am I deprived of all the fun?"

"Oh no, Sheik, you can have all the fun you want," Delano chuckled. As he swung himself onto the saddle of the giant horse, he said, "But all joking aside, Ilia is seriously tough. I've never seen a woman like her. She and I teamed up to bring a group of innocents out of the Castle Town. Her blade is deadly."

"And she's pretty, you say? All the more ammunition against Link, then," Sheik grinned devilishly as Delano began to lead. "So where exactly is everyone?"

"A cave that Link found. Well truthfully, my soldier Hans found it first, but that's all irrelevant. There's actually a lot of space in there, enough for all of us to fit into. Oh, and by the way, be ready for a debate of some kind for our next course of action. We hadn't thought of what we would do next, as it seemed like a 'next' part didn't really exist for us. But since you're here, I think we'll have to move."

Sheik rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I guess I haven't really thought about it, either. I just ran on adrenaline while I escaped. But… off the top of my head, I might have an idea on our next mission," he announced, thinking about his planning while hiding in the shrubs of the Castle.

That certainly caught Delano's attention. "And what would that be?" he asked, rapt.

"Cave first, Delano," Sheik reminded him. Delano nodded as he urged the black-and-white horse forward toward a patch of grass, near the base of a steep cliff of rock.

"Delano? Where exactly is the cave?" the Sheikah called out. The other man responded by jumping off his saddle and parting the tall grass, revealing a hold barely large enough for someone to slide into. Sheik's jaw dropped. "You say Link found this? He has amazing eyesight!"

Laughing in response to his words, the Commander bent down. He tapped the horse's knees, murmuring words Sheik couldn't hear to the horse in an undertone. The horse obediently sank to the ground, and in its position the tall grass obscured most of its body from sight. "Impressive, Commander. Is this your horse?" Sheik asked him.

"No. I… I know how to communicate with some animals, and they understand me well enough," he replied cryptically. "Here – I'll tell your horse to do the same."

"He's not my horse, but Zelda's. She raised Storm from birth, and she loves him, perhaps as much as she loves me," he chuckled.

Delano smiled. "He's a magnificent creature." He then proceeded to say a few quiet, unheard words to Storm, and the horse sank to his knees, looking at Delano with intelligent eyes. Satisfied with Delano's 'communication' as he called it, Sheik nodded and slipped through the cave entrance.

He was indeed surprised by the largeness of the cave. A fire lit up the dank cave, allowing Sheik to see. The four people who slept inside all came awake save for the unperturbed Hylian soldier, the rest of them jolted awake by the sound of Sheik's entrance, and now Delano's. "Well, well, it seems you've found a nice rat-hole here," Sheik grinned, and Zelda perked up at the familiar voice. Her servant turned to look at her, and the brightest smile graced his features. "Nice to see you again, you old nag," he grinned, and his breath whooshed out of him as she tackled him in a tight hug, crying, "Sheik!"

It would have been a nice, heart-warming moment if the hug didn't cause Sheik to gasp in pain. Zelda pulled back worriedly, giving a gasp of her own as she realized that her cloak was now bloody. "Sheik, you're _injured!"_ she shouted angrily, eyes staring directly at his very visible injuries. "Someone get me the saddlebags!

"I'm–" Sheik began to say.

"Don't you_ dare_ say you're 'fine', mister," Zelda snarled, ripping a piece of fabric from the hem of her cloak savagely. "Delano, hand me the saddlebags, now! I asked you already!" He obliged hurriedly and Zelda pulled out a bottle of purple potion. Sheik winced at the sight of it, already tasting the bitter taste of the potion on his tongue. She looked at his torso, seeing so many wounds that her throat closed up just at the sight. "You're explaining this after I'm done with this. Your wounds are horrible. You'll have to apply some orally and you'll have to drink a ton of it too."

Sighing, Sheik nodded, signalling her just to get on with it. Everyone watched, tense, as Zelda poured half of the potion into an empty container, thrusting it into his hand. He downed all of it without stopping, grimacing at the horrible taste. "That's not the end of it," Zelda warned, and she left the potion drip onto the first wound. Sheik clenched his jaw, the wound stinging, and Zelda continued to disinfect the rest. The Sheikah had to bite his lip to keep from screaming out in pain, and the Princess soothed him, "Shh, shh, it's alright, you'll live." She patted an undamaged part of his arm to comfort him as the pain gradually eased away, and Sheik's jaw relaxed somewhat.

"Is the pain all gone?" she asked him quietly.

He nodded. "Mostly."

She proceeded to rip the cloak fabric further into strips and tied them around his most of his torso. The blood already began to soak the fabric. "Bloody hell," she muttered, not quite caring about etiquette right now, wrapping more around him and began tearing more out of her cloak.

It seemed a lifetime later that Zelda pulled on the ends of the last bandage, finishing the knot, saying, "You explain. Now."

Sheik's eyes lowered. From his mouth reluctantly came an account of the whole assault, and didn't look up as he did. Vaati had entered Zelda's room as Link and Zelda escaped from the Castle, and Sheik had denied Vaati's order to let him get at the escapers. A fight had ensued, involving balls of flame and burning glass shards. He constantly shuddered as he retold the story, and had to take frequent sips of water to get past the story. Finally, he told them about how he had acted as though he had given in to protecting Link and Zelda, and with some pride, he told them that Vaati had dropped his guard, allowing Sheik to knock him off the balcony. The flight to the stables and from there to the cave was easy to tell.

The others were silent as they absorbed the story. Then, Zelda spoke. But contrary to what he expected, Zelda spoke in a soft tone. "I can't believe you did that for us."

He shrugged, embarrassed by it all. Moving closer to the fire and away from the cold entrance of the cave, he said, "You would have been caught if I didn't. So I did it."

"I knew we shouldn't have left you behind," his master asserted, flashing a sharp look at Link, which signalled the return of her old self. Sheik smiled as Link glared back, but Zelda continued to speak, turning away from the Ordonian. "Look what happened to you! You might not heal for weeks!"

"Let us not dwell on the consequences, Your Highness," Delano told her calmly. "Should we not commend Sheik for his bravery and courage? I believe we would be in a much worse position, had Sheik not stayed behind. If he had not, you would be in Ganondorf's grasp right now."

_And, _Sheik thought to himself, _let's not forget that he would be making his merry wish to the completed Triforce right now_. He silently thanked Delano that he hadn't let slip the fact that Link and Zelda bore the Triforce parts. Now was not the time to reveal this information; perhaps one day, but not today. Aloud he said, "Delano understands my intentions, Zelda."

She gave an unrestrained shriek of rage. "Don't go all righteous on me!" she hissed. "You could have been killed!"

"Better me than you," he shrugged. Then brushing away the topic like leaves off his arms, he greeted Link. "Good to see you made it safely, Link."

"Thanks to you, of course," Link grinned, which brought a smile to Sheik's own face. "I must formally thank you for saving my life. Oh, and Zelda's, as an additional bonus."

She seethed with anger, of course, while Sheik's smile widened. "No problem," Sheik replied.

"No problem? No _problem_?" Zelda laughed harshly and sarcastically. "If I may, I'll point out a _problem_: your endless collection of burns, perhaps!"

Sheik looked at the others, sadness in his face. "It's like listening to horses neigh; I can hear sounds, but I can't understand them," he said regretfully.

His master looked like an angry bull now.

Her servant snickered, then looked at the two newcomers instead of the furious woman beside him. "May I request introductions?"

"Delano, how about I give him the introduction of Ilia, and you can introduce your annoying soldier," Link suggested to Delano, his eyes shining with mirth at Sheik's antics.

"Sounds good to me. I'll go first. Here's Hans, a soldier under my command. Hans, this is Sheik, a Sheikah servant to the Royal Family, and the royal guard of Princess Zelda," Delano said in a formal manner, and the two men nodded to each other. Sheik was confused that the soldier did not offer to shake hands, as Impa had taught him that when two men of equal status met, they shook hands or at least bowed. Perhaps the man was a suspicious one.

"Link? How about your woman?" Sheik asked in an amused tone, and both Link and Ilia's faces simultaneously heated up, cheeks reddening till they looked as red as apples.

"He's not my–!" Ilia looked mortified at the very thought of being 'Link's woman'.

"She certainly isn't–!" The word 'agitated' did little to describe Link right now.

Sheik laughed so hard his bandages became redder in protest. "I'm sorry, I simply couldn't resist," he chuckled. Zelda flashed him a warning look, nodding at his bandages, and Sheik stifled his laughter as Link glared at him.

"Link, boy, don't look so glum!" Delano exclaimed. "Ilia's a very pretty woman for you to have! You could do much worse!"

Everyone in the cave erupted in laughter, save for the two very embarrassed Ordonians. Ilia flushed such a dark shade of red that one might fear she would faint, while Link turned from deathly crimson to positively white to the point where his skin looked as pale as Delano. His eyes closed for a brief moment, his eyebrow creased with a frown. Then, they snapped open, and Link gestured vaguely at the respective people as he said, "Ilia, Sheik. Sheik, Ilia." Then he turned to look at the fire, face hard as stone.

"Ever so brief, aren't you, Link?" he grinned smugly at the back of the sulking man. Turning to Ilia, he took her hand and gave it a courtly kiss like a proper gentleman, saying, "Glad to make your acquaintance, Miss Ilia." Even Zelda couldn't help but chuckle as Ilia's face went from dark red to even darker red, and all the flustered girl could do was nod weakly.

Link muttered something to himself, words inaudible by everyone else, but nevertheless they all laughed at his foolishness. Acting like a headstrong child, he drew his knees to his chest and huffily continued his staring contest with the fire. Ilia was too disconcerted to say anything, which made Sheik laugh harder.

"Okay, I think that's enough," Delano said, suppressing another laugh. "Link has been thoroughly embarrassed as has Ilia, so we should move on. Sheik has mentioned to me that he has an idea of what next to do."

Sheik struggled to wipe the grin off his face and shove the laugh down his throat, finally attaining a serious attitude when he thought about his idea. Zelda had long regained her composure, and Hans's boisterous guffawing had been reduced to a smirk. Link and Ilia hadn't moved from their earlier positions, but Sheik knew they would listen. "Alright, I admit I do have an idea," Sheik began, "but it will take a long time to explain it fully."

"Go on," Hans prodded, "we all have to be informed of the whole thing anyway, so just get on with it."

Nodding in appreciation at Hans's straightforwardness, Sheik took a deep breath. The truth was, Sheik had no idea if what he was about to say would relate to their situation. Ages ago, Impa had told it to him very briefly in an offhanded manner, but Sheik sensed his mother had had reason to tell the tale that had been his bedtime story for that one night. He hesitated, wondering if he should mention it at all, but he swallowed his indecision and began to tell the story that triggered nostalgia.

"There is a Sheikah legend that has been handed down from generation to generation. It is the tale of a Hero… a Princess… and a tyrant."

All heads perked up in the cave.


	7. Tale and Travel

Chapter 7: Tale and Travel

Sheik's words had certainly gotten their attention. Those midnight blue eyes of Zelda's lit up with a spark of recognition, but she allowed Sheik to tell the tale. The others looked at Sheik with intent eyes, so he began the story, remembering the tone that Impa had told him the story with.

"The Hero, or often called the Hero of Time, was, in the beginning, a young Hylian boy. But no ordinary boy, of course; his life was twisted since the beginning. He was raised in the wilds of a haunted forest, handed to the care of the tree god that thrived in the woods by a dying mother. The god that lived in the tree decided to let him grow alongside the magical children that dwelled in the depths of the forest for the beginning of his life, and the boy himself believing he was one of them. However, he never did fit in, and then came the day that the tree god revealed to him the fact that he was a Hylian, destined to become a Hero."

The others in the room had no idea of how this related to the situation. Sheik knew they were thinking, _We don't have the time to tell fairy-tales! _He told them, "I know this sounds unrelated, but I promise you, it is. Just listen." Still they looked unconvinced, but Sheik continued.

"After a brief trial of the boy's courage, the tree god told him about the impending doom that was to become of the kingdom. A tyrant from a foreign country was planning to capture the kingdom's Castle, and the god told the boy that he was one of the few glimmers of hope of the land. The god bestowed upon him a sacred emerald, and with his purpose fulfilled, the tree withered and died. The Hero was to take the valuable stone to the Castle, to present it to the young Princess of the land. The boy dutifully left the forest, leaving everything he had ever known, and began his journey to stop the tyrant before he began his plight."

Everyone was alert now. No one questioned the intent of the story.

"He reached the Castle, taking extra lengths not to be caught, and met the Princess. There, the young Hero bestowed upon her the emerald, and she told him the purpose of the jewel. It was used to open the Door of Time in a holy temple to gain entrance into a mystical realm with a godly power inside, called the Sacred Realm and also the Golden Land. The two plotted to take the power before the tyrant could, but two other gems, one ruby and one sapphire, were required. At her command, he retrieved both. The Hero returned to the Castle to give the jewels to the Princess, only to see her fleeing from the tyrant on horseback. The Princess threw a blue ocarina to the boy, and both the Princess and tyrant were soon gone.

"The boy went to the Door of Time in the temple, and he placed the gems in their place, and used the ocarina to play a magical tune. The Door opened, and the next room contained the legendary Master Sword, sleeping in a pedestal. The Master Sword was the conduit between the land and the Sacred Realm. The boy pulled the sword out, but as he did, he was sealed inside the realm, to be sealed inside for seven years. The tyrant, having known the plan all along, entered the realm and seized the power for himself, the ultimate downfall of the Hero and Princess's plan.

"The kingdom was then ruled by the powerful tyrant, and it stayed in its depression for those seven years. The boy was not yet old enough to be the Hero, and the seven years passed so that he could fully be the Hero of Time. When he woke, an ancient sage sent him on his next quest: to find the other six sages who would be vital in overthrowing the Evil King. The Hero of Time awakened the Sages, one by one, by adventuring through the land. The Hero and the Seven Sages defeated the tyrant together, and the villain was sealed inside the realm. The kingdom, for the time being, was safe.

"But the Hero and the Sages knew better. They knew that one day, the Evil King would escape the realm with a thirst for revenge and power, even if it was thought impossible. So with their abilities, they gazed into the future. Each of the eight saviours chose a successor, eight people that would meet by fate when the tyrant would come back to power. And the successor of the Hero would once again be the one to collect the missing gems and awaken the Sages, to defeat the tyrant."

The silence following Sheik's tale sounded so much more suspenseful than ordinary silence. Sheik knew that they were making the connection.

"So, who's the Hero's successor?" Hans asked, breaking the silence. "That's the whole big question, because this new big-shot Hero will be the one to get the pretty rocks and the magical Sages, am I right?"

"I doubt we can be sure who it is at the moment," Zelda said slowly, saving her ranting at Hans for later. "The Hero of Time would not take lightly his choice of successor. And I don't think any of us would qualify to be the new Hero." She flashed a disapproving glance at both Link and Hans.

Delano crossed his arms. "Sheik, you said you had an idea of what to do next. You told a legend, but you didn't tell an idea," he prompted.

"Yes," Sheik nodded. He took another deep breath, ready to tell his secret. "Some of you might not know this, but my mother, Impa, was exiled from all official Hyrulean civilization. She was forced to leave the Castle and stay in the wild, never to meet with any intelligent being for the rest of her life." He felt Zelda's eyes in particular watching him curiously. "But I know where she is. And she is the one that told me the tale… I think that if we meet with her, she would be able to guide us, to find the new Hero."

Zelda looked at him, her eyes feeling like they were burning holes into his face. "I always thought you might know where she is," she said. "So where is that Sheikah woman? She was a dear friend."

Sheik sighed, childhood memories flooding into his mind. "It's an abandoned village that my ancestors used to live in. Mother often brought me there for private training; all that's there are old, worn buildings and the creatures that like those sorts of places. However, we have to traverse a long distance. In good weather, _without _bloodthirsty pig-monsters searching for your heads, on well-fed running horses, the trip can take two to four days depending on how fast you go. With our conditions, it can take five days to a full week. Plus, we only have two horses."

"Possibly three… if I can… find my horse," Link mumbled, quite deliberately avoiding Ilia's gaze.

"If… If you can _what?!" _Ilia shouted at him, cheeks reddening.

Zelda smiled.

"Epona is somewhere in Ordona! I couldn't let the Moblins get her!"

"You… You inconsiderate _fool!_ You just let her to run home all by _herself?_!_"_

"Now, now, children," Delano smirked, "we have to stay on track. Sheik, do you remember how to get there?"

The Sheikah looked embarrassed to say his next words. "I've imagined treading the path many times. I always contemplated leaving the Castle to find her. I never did get the chance until now."

Zelda whirled on him, eyes flashing. "You actually thought about leaving me?!"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Sheik said with a 'straight' face. "But do know that I stayed for your sake."

Zelda and Ilia sat side-by-side, fuming.

"Well, it looks like it's up to me to direct you people again," Delano chuckled. "Link, go see if you can't get Epona to come here, and someone else, put out the fire. Get your saddlebags ready. It looks like we've got a long journey to get started on."

* * *

As it turned out, Epona had never even left the fields. She had stayed in a thick patch of trees, loyally waiting for Link's call. When he blew the grass, Epona dashed out of the woods like a starving man to a plate of food.

"Epona, girl," Link chuckled as Epona ran around him in circles, neighing merrily. When the mare finally calmed down, she trotted down to a stop, allowing Link to run up to her and run his hands over her soft chestnut coat. The cheery mare snorted in delight, shaking her head at him playfully, her long ears flopping about. "Come on, now," he said to her, "we've got a long trip for you to take us on." Grabbing her worn reins, Link ran her to the cave entrance, where the others awaited him.

"So you did find her, then," Delano smiled, as though laughing at a private joke.

"Yes, she thought it would be funny just to wait for me in the shadows of the trees," he shook his head. He looked over at the others. Sheik's wounds were doing better, according to Zelda, and his clothes had been mended by Ilia's skilful hands; in better circumstances, Link would have insisted to stay for a few more hours, maybe a day, but Sheik wouldn't allow the trip to be delayed because of him. Link knew that he was right, that they couldn't allow room for capture by the Moblins. But he also sensed that there was more reason than just the logic of it: Sheik was eager to see his long-lost mother again.

Zelda was still in her royal dress, the fabric dirty. Her black cloak had been torn to become Sheik's bandages, and so she stayed in only her dress. Her hair was messy and unclean, far too long to be kept clean in the circumstances. Everyone knew about her terrible state of appearance right now, as she had constantly complained about it like a child. But Link still somehow saw beauty. As long as those piercing midnight blue eyes were open, she was beautiful to his eyes. But when her _mouth_ was open, on the other hand…

Link pulled his cloak off, offering it to her, but averting his eyes, dreading the beauty of her eyes and what he would see in them as he performed this rare act of kindness. "You have greater need of it than I do," he said simply.

She was silent and unmoving for so long that Link simply had to look at her to see what her facial expression was. What he saw was the strangest cloud of emotions he had ever seen, stranger even than Ilia's expressions. He couldn't make out anything from her face right now.

But he found no trace of hate.

"Thank you," she said, and accepted the cloak from him. As she slipped it on and her eyes were temporarily blocked, everyone looked at Link with disbelief. Then, Ilia shot him an approving look and smile, while the other men simply stared at him, agape.

Link ignored them as he turned to Epona. "You're a good girl, but next time, listen to me," he chuckled, patting Epona's broad neck and checking that the saddlebags were secure. The mare only snorted in response as Link easily mounted her.

Ilia glared at Link for a second before her face eased into an affectionate gaze at Epona. Link snickered as Ilia turned to stroke Epona's mane. "Nice to see you again, girl," she said, smiling.

Link held out his hand, waiting. After a few more quiet words to the mare she loved so dearly, she took his hand, using it to steady herself as she prepared to climb onto Epona behind Link.

"Wait," Sheik called, running up to them. Ilia paused, and the two looked at him questioningly. "I don't think you two will be able to ride together for this trip. Since only I know the way, I will have to lead. And as we are being pursued by the Dark Interlopers and the Moblins, we have to send one horse ahead of the other two to scout the next area we venture into. Since I'm leading, I'll have to scout. But _then_, Zelda can't be put at risk with me as I check the next area, so Zelda will ride with you on Epona, and Ilia will ride with me on Storm," he explained hastily. When neither Link nor Ilia said a word, Sheik asked tentatively, "Is that alright with you?"

Link said nothing as Ilia smiled, "Of course." She let go of Link's hand as Sheik nodded and went back to Storm. "Link," she said in a low voice, turning to face him, "please don't tell me you're worried about riding double with Zelda."

"How can't I be?" he groaned, his face buried in his hands. "I'm sure the Princess hates me the most out of anyone else in Hyrule! And yet I'm to ride on the same horse as her?"

"Yes, you are," Zelda said behind him, her face set into a frown as she walked up to Epona. Link literally jumped in surprise, and Ilia giggled. Zelda looked at Epona wearily as Link turned quickly to face the Princess. "Trust me, villager, I want no less than to ride with Sheik, but that stubborn bull won't budge on his decision. Apparently I am too precious to lose." She paused, striding toward Link and Epona. Her eyes looked not at him but the horse he sat upon, with a strange admiring look in her eyes. But how could she admire anything that was village-bred? Link thought bitterly. She murmured to his Epona, stroking her neck. Amazingly, Epona did not shy away as she did with all other strangers.

With a long stare at the Princess, clothed in his cloak with the hood up, he offered her his hand, though not without reluctance. The Princess took his hand, and with a sort of regal grace, she stepped onto the stirrup and brought herself onto the saddle behind him. Epona still was not bothered by Zelda's presence.

"And how," Zelda asked Link in an accusing tone, "am I supposed to stay on this saddle while we ride?"

Link shrugged, feeling hot blood flow into his face. He was so _very_ grateful she couldn't see his face. "When I ride with her," he nodded at Ilia, who stifled her laughter, much to his own dismay, "she would put an arm around my waist, but I doubt you'd want to do that."

A long pause ensued. Finally, Zelda spoke, anger evident in her voice, "Then what do you expect me to do, you idiot?"

"Fall off," was the cold reply.

"Now, now, Link, don't be rude," Ilia scolded him with a fox-like grin. Link stared daggers at his childhood friend, which made her smile widen so much more.

"Yes, Link, and don't be an idiot," Zelda said, poking his back.

If he was able to, Link would have glared at her as well.

"Have fun, you two," Ilia winked at them, and then she strode to Zelda, whispered something into her ear. Link turned in the saddle in suspicion, only to see Zelda's face reddening and Ilia's graceful sprinting away to Sheik and Storm.

"What in the world did she say to _you_? You're as red a beet!" he said, peering at Zelda's face with a frown. He couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or angry; knowing Zelda, though, it was probably the latter.

"Not… nothing, not anything of consequence," she managed to say, "and you don't have any right to ask." Her voice regained its steely tone by the time she had finished saying the sentence.

Turning away from her again, his own face red in anger this time, he spurred Epona forward without warning, whipping the reins around to steer Epona closer to the group. With a yelp, Zelda quickly wound her right arm around him so that she would not slip off the saddle.

Link kept his face expressionless, but inside, he wore both a grimace and a grin.

And of course, as Epona stopped, Zelda immediately withdrew her arm. "You idiot villager," she muttered as she shifted uncomfortably in the saddle.

"You stupid noble," he retorted.

"Come _on_, you two, we haven't even begun the trip and you're already being unbearable!" Hans moaned, standing by the black-and-white stallion, now claimed and named Shade by Delano. Shade neighed in agreement.

"Well, the reason we haven't started to travel is because you haven't even mounted Shade yet. Even the Princess and I are ready!" Link said pointedly.

Grumbling, Hans turned away, muttering a few curses. Link caught Ilia's eye, and the two Ordonians laughed as though sharing a private joke. Two men on one horse–it was going to make the trip interesting.

Shade looked at his soon-to-be riders wearily, waiting for them. He pawed the ground with his hoof, watching the two men curiously.

"So, who's in front?" Delano asked Hans cautiously.

Hans coughed embarrassedly. "Er… I'll go in front." He scrambled to climb onto Shade, who snorted with distaste at Hans's clumsy motions.

"Fine, it's your choice," Delano said, shrugging, as he watched Hans ungracefully place himself onto on the saddle. The Commander put his foot on the stirrup, stepped up, and threw his leg over to the other side. He adjusted himself for comfort, and Hans yelped, "Stop it! And don't sit so _close_!"

Delano rolled his eyes. The Ordonians laughed some more, and Shade whickered in misery.

Sheik whistled to get everyone's attention. "Now, there's the matter of formation to discuss. Because Moblins and their pet monsters are out looking for us, we have to have someone scout ahead for us. That means two of the horses will lag behind as the spotters search for danger. Since only I know the way, Ilia and I will go on ahead, and I'll whistle if it's safe. Got that? Whistle means it's safe. Alright then, let's shove off!"

* * *

The sun travelled across what was left of the broad expanse of the sky as slowly but steadily as a turtle, but the horses had made use of the time, carrying the group a reasonable distance closer to the abandoned Sheikah village. Every hour or so, Sheik and Ilia would forge on ahead on Storm, daggers at the ready, and check to see if anyone – or anything – would lash out at them in hostility. Link, Zelda, Delano, and Hans would all wait uneasily for Sheik's whistle, which had thankfully come each time around – so far. The day passed in this pattern, with Sheik constantly checking that they were on track.

Of course, with Link and Zelda on the same horse, the others found the long hours nearly unbearable. What made it even worse was Hans's whining _triggered_ by Link and Zelda's arguments; soon enough, even the horses were agitated. The only positive, Link reflected, was that no one had attacked them. Yet.

Luckily though, the day of travel had not lasted forever, much to the relief of the sufferers; the moon, gloriously bright in the clear night sky, had finally shown its face. With night falling upon them as well as fatigue, they decided to set up camp. Sheik and Ilia had scouted the next area, which was thankfully safe, and near enough a river to supply water and make a safe fire.

Link made an immediate dismount, eager to be away from Zelda and take a reprieve with Ilia or Sheik. He turned away to help make a fire, but Zelda had made a clumsy stumble while getting off the saddle. With lightning reflexes, he caught her by the waist as she fell, putting Zelda in his embrace for a moment. He helped her right herself, saying with a smirk, "Steady there,_ Princess_."

She cleared her throat as she answered brusquely, brushing past him, "Yes, thank you, Sir Link." She stormed away with Delano, Hans, and the horses to the river to relieve their thirst.

The Ordonian's smirk remained as he made his way to Ilia, who was kneeling on the ground, blocking the wind so that Sheik could spark up a fire. "Goddesses, Link, you have to stop your bickering with Zelda. It's enough that this trip will take at least five days!" Ilia scowled at him, but Link could see that almost indiscernible smile in her eyes.

He pushed her with his elbow, and she almost fell over because of it. "You know I can't stand the woman," he ground out through clenched teeth. Sheik's smile widened, but still the Sheikah stayed silent.

Ilia, dusting herself off, said to him, "If you made an effort to see past her… well, rudeness, you would see that she really is a wonderful lady." She gasped and pulled her hands back when Sheik suddenly started the fire, which quickly engulfed the wood and became a steady campfire.

"Yes, have fun waiting for me to do so," Link snorted, edging closer to the fire for warmth.

Sheik scrutinized Link's face. "Won't you try to, though, Link?" he asked, his face actually sincere. "It's not only because I want you two to shut up, but also because I think that you two would be a good pair."

Link burst out with laughter, doubling over. He was laughing so hard that tears soon began to leak from his eyes. Sheik and Ilia exchanged a puzzled glance, and they waited as Link gradually calmed down. Wiping his eyes and breathing deeply with a smile on his face, Link said, "Oh Sheik, you've made my _day._"

"I was serious."

"Then please tell how in Hyrule you came up with _that _blather," Link raised an eyebrow at him.

Ilia cocked her head to the side. "I actually agree with Sheik. I don't know how to explain this hunch, but I think you two would be close. People as different as you two are become extraordinary teams once you forget your differences."

"And that'll never happen," Link said. He stood up, taking a saddlebag and rummaging through it for a blanket. "I'm telling you, you can believe your philosophy all you want, but I'll lose a sword battle with a Bokoblin before Zelda and I could ever become _friends_." The word made him chuckle again as he laid the blanket down on the ground.

Silenced, Sheik and Ilia looked at each other, both of them knowing what the other was thinking, as Link laid down onto the blanket and quickly fell asleep.

"Where are the others?" Ilia said quietly, to not disturb Link. She stared at his handsome face as he breathed evenly, but her words were directed at Sheik.

Leaning back and observing Ilia's entranced face with amusement, the Sheikah waved vaguely to the river. When she didn't say anything, he smiled. "Ilia?" he chuckled as Ilia continued to stare at Link. She shook herself, turning away with a grimace. "So all jokes about you two aside," Sheik began in a low voice, glancing at Link, wondering if he was really asleep, "what is it between you and him?"

Ilia didn't answer for a moment, staring into the heart of the dancing flames. "Sometimes I have no idea myself," she said.

When she said no more than that, he asked, "What do you wish it was, though?"

She shot him a sharp look, and Sheik finally saw what Delano meant by her being 'aggressive, defensive, and stubborn.' Her stare stayed locked on him. "Do you really think we've known each other long enough for me to tell you that?"

Sheik grinned, glad she couldn't see his smile through the fabric covering his face. "Not at all. You're right, of course, but your defensive stance right now tells me everything."

The girl fell silent, her icy look melting away. She looked at Link again, muttering a few words to herself that sounded suspiciously like "I'm going to get him back for that." But again, Sheik only grinned, smug about his victory. Ilia was infuriated into silence now and occupied herself staring at the pearlescent crescent moon hanging above them in the night sky.

It was not long before Delano, Hans, and Zelda returned to the campfire with the thirst-sated horses and a filled waterskin. Delano stayed with the horses to calm them down for rest with his gift with animals, while Hans laid out a blanket to sleep. The Princess decided to sit in between Ilia and Sheik, which might not have been a smart idea. She noticed that neither of them said anything as she sat, not even a greeting. She waited a moment, testing to see if they had simply been slow, but still they stayed silent. "What, are you playing some kind of silence game?" she snorted.

Sheik grinned, and Ilia frowned.

Zelda waited another moment as Sheik and Ilia exchanged an odd glance, and Sheik finally spoke. "Ilia won't admit to her attraction to Link."

Ilia's jaw tightened.

"Don't worry, Ilia, all of us become infatuated at some point in their lives," Zelda smiled, patting her hand like in a sisterly manner.

Ilia only turned her stony look on Zelda before she grabbed a blanket, laid it down, and fell asleep on it.

Sheik and Zelda only grinned at each other.

* * *

The next five days passed in this manner. At the crack of dawn, the guard of the night, who was usually Link, Delano, Sheik, or Ilia would start packing (Hans was quickly proven to be incompetent when a sneaking Lizalfos almost killed Delano). Whoever it was would wake the others in an instant, and they would all help pack up the camp, stomp out the fire. They stayed in their formation with Sheik and Ilia scouting ahead, the others lagging behind for safety. Not wasting any time for eating, they ate as they rode, something each of them disliked but knew they had to put up with. Monsters roamed and roved the fields, and they always had, but they seemed worryingly numerous now; the six of them quickly became accustomed to fighting on horseback, riding double. Everyone proved to be useful in battle, and Link's suspicion of Zelda's skill with the blade was confirmed. Link dreaded the possibility that Ganondorf might be behind the monsters' abundance, and they stayed forever wary of any other travellers, even if they seemed relatively normal. When the sunset set the sky on fire, Sheik and Ilia would search for a safe place to stay.

Aside from the travelling, the six of them became friendlier and more comfortable with each other throughout the travelling to the point where they could sit down, talk, and laugh every time they set up camp. Link thought he was even fond of Hans's whining, strange as it sounded. He became so used to hearing Delano's accent that he could even talk exactly the same as he did, and Sheik was becoming like a brother to him. And even though he enjoyed their company, he still found himself closest to Ilia, and he was glad for the fact that they were travelling together.

However, no matter how much he bonded with the others, he and Zelda still hadn't done as Sheik and Ilia had said they would: forget their differences. Sometimes they found themselves arguing about something as minor as the time of day, and Link found after the third day that he found not the energy inside him to argue with the headstrong woman. After this, the two would simply ignore each other, though for the instances that they were forced to acknowledge the other's existence, both of them still spoke to each other with mild hostility. Despite what he had said to Sheik and Ilia, Link found this arrangement both relieving and discouraging: how were they supposed to work together if they couldn't talk to each other civilly? But for the time being, the arrangement worked.

It was on the sixth day that Sheik announced as he led the group, "Do you see how the terrain is becoming rocky and mountainous? That's a good sign; the village can only be entered through a hidden passage in the rock. The whole village is surrounded by mountain walls; it's situated inside a mountain crater, impossible to reach by climbing."

"Seems like it really wants to stay hidden," commented Hans from behind, peering at the mountain walls rapidly rising above them.

Sheik nodded. "The Sheikah was a race that wanted to stay in the shadows as much as possible," he explained. "We trusted ourselves, sceptical of all others, so we withdrew from most of the rest of Hyrulean civilization. However, they did serve the Royal Family, because they did want to contribute to the glory of Hyrule." At this point, he met Zelda's eyes, and they shared a smile. "I believe it was this isolation from the rest of Hyrule that was our downfall, though," he said with a sad tone.

Ilia patted his shoulder from behind, her eyes softening. "Don't worry, Sheik, we're nearly there. And we'll be able to see another Sheikah soon, so don't dwell upon it too much."

He paused for a moment, sighing thankfully. "Ilia, you know exactly what to say to comfort me," he said.

"I've been known to do that," she answered with a laugh, catching Link's eye and smirking.

After another half hour of riding, Link finally noticed that the terrain's incline was becoming much steeper, sloping upward. The scenery was beautiful; the sun was setting now, flashing streaks of orange and red across the cloudless sky. Ahead of them, the twilight fell upon the rocks with a strange elegance but also with a sad, lonely feel because of the lack of life. Looking behind himself and past the irritable Princess, Link could see the greens of the base of the mountain. The trees swayed behind them as though beckoning them to come back from the mountain, the leaves rustling in the wind like spoken pleads. Looking up at the barren mountainside, he wished he could submit to their wishes, but he knew that there was an important Sheikah to meet. Sighing, he gently nudged Epona's underside with his heels, and she began to trot forward to catch up with the others.

Ahead, Sheik was muttering to himself. "This looks familiar… yet I can't find the indent!" he mumbled, staring intently at the walls to the left and right of the sloped path. From behind, Ilia was trying to console him to no avail. Link knew he was torturing himself for not being able to reunite with his long-lost mother sooner.

"Sheik?" Zelda said as Epona brought them up from behind. "Are you having trouble remembering which wall it is?"

"Obviously!" he snapped, his temper breaking, but he didn't look away from the wall. "I had imagined travelling this path so many times, yet how can I not even find the right wall?"

Link looked at Sheik with pity; he could sense the longing for his mother under his anger. "Calm down, Sheik, we'll find it," he promised. "You say that the wall is here somewhere?"

"Yes!" Sheik grumbled, stepping off Storm and rather rudely leaving Ilia on the saddle to dismount herself. Storm watched Sheik curiously with his liquid brown eyes, having never seen Sheik like this before. Link followed suit, jumping off the saddle (of course, leaving Zelda alone), quickly coming to Sheik's side. Muttering to himself again, Sheik inspected the mountainous walls.

"And what exactly are we looking for? You mentioned an indent, I believe?" Link prodded him.

Sheik seemed to stop and calm himself noticeably, and answered with a heavy exhale, "Yes, an indent. It should look somewhat like…" He paused and reached for his neck, moving the fabric covering his face temporarily to remove a red Sheikah-eye pendant. "It looks something like this. It's rather unnoticeable, but do tell me if you find anything that looks somewhat like this," he said anxiously, showing everyone the pattern before going back to looking for the indent.

Everyone searched until Delano realized that the horses were no longer where they had been standing a moment earlier; the horses were gathered around a certain wall. Shade sniffed at it like it were another animal, Epona stared at the wall intently as though trying to read it, and Storm snorted impatiently because the other two were crowding the interesting wall. Delano had called the others' attention, and it turned out that the animal's instinct was the path to take: the Sheikah eye was carved into the rock, though the edges were worn with age and recognizable only if you were searching for such a shape.

Practically leaping at it with zeal that was most uncharacteristic of the calm and collected Sheik, he took the pendant and pressed the eye into the indent, which fitted perfectly inside like halves of a whole. The Sheikah eye glowed cherry red for an instant before it cooled down again, and Sheik put the pendant back around his neck. As he did, the mountain shook, and the rock literally pulled itself open to make way for the travellers, the whole mountain moving to make a passageway into itself. Sheik grabbed the horses' reins and beckoned for the others to follow, laughing at their bewildered faces. "The Sheikah _are _known as the Shadow Folk!" he laughed, mirth shining in his crimson eyes, running into the mountain with the eager horses galloping alongside him.

Everyone exchanging anxious glances, the others stood awkwardly, each of them waiting for someone else to enter. Then, shrugging, Link entered the passage, and the others thankfully followed suit. As they entered, the opening in the mountain filled in by some magic, looking as though the mountain was stretching the very rock to cover the opening like a blanket being pulled over a bed. Staring at the wall, Link said, "I don't _dare_ ask."

The others all nodded in agreement, and then they followed the passage. It was dark, dank, and uncomfortable in the tunnel, but it wasn't very long until light could be seen at the end of the claustrophobia-inducing passage. Link could see Sheik's outline, and he walked briskly to meet it. When Sheik was finally near, Link witnessed the brightest smile he would ever see on Sheik's face. He grinned at each of the others, and simply gestured at what stood behind him.

Link finally looked beyond Sheik to see the crumbling village, and his jaw fell in amazement. Though the village was clearly in ruins, anyone could see that at the height of this village's glory the village must have been a great thriving place.

Unsteady and collapsed buildings were in strict circular formation, hugging the very edges of the crater, surrounding what Link guessed to have once been a beautiful village square. The whole village seemed to be centred around a single but imposingly giant marble statue, now torn down and unrecognizable. Scattered around the square were what looked like the remains of the stands of a market, in no apparent order, quite unlike the larger buildings. The ground was not paved over with concrete as Hyrule Castle Town was, but it seemed to add to the earthy feeling that these ruins had. What made the village even grander was the fact that it was surrounded by the mountain walls, being inside a crater and all. The walls rose up above them so steeply that no one would dare scale them. And the beauty of the crater was that it seemed as though the village simply opened up into the sky; all one would see above them would be the sky, letting in enough sunlight or rain for the people to live. What also came with living inside a mountain crater came a lonely, isolated feel; you could see nothing else of the world unless you left the interior of the mountain. But right now, the view of the pearly white crescent moon in marine blue night sky was more than enough to bring Link to smile. Though the village ruins were all in all decrepit, Link could only imagine the grandeur of this village at the peak of its glory.

Sheik turned back to the stunned group, smiling. "Welcome," he said with pride, "to Old Kakariko Village."


	8. Discoveries

Chapter 8: Discoveries

"What magnificence," Ilia said after a moment's silence.

"Old Kakariko, you say?" Hans raised an eyebrow at Sheik, casting an appraising glance at the ruined village around them. "So this is the namesake of the Kakariko down in the Eldin Province, then?"

Sheik nodded enthusiastically, a gleam slipping into in his red eyes. "Yes, New Kakariko was founded by young Sheikah of my parents' generation; Impa had been present when the first house was built there. However, since the Sheikah of newer generations are more accepting of other races, they allowed Hylians, Humans, and even Gorons and Zoras to settle in: anyone who wished to make a living there." He began to walk forward with zeal in his step, and the others quickly followed.

"Well, I have to say something," Ilia spoke. "New Kakariko has nothing on the Old even in the forms of an empty, ruined crater. I know, because my father" - her voice faltered, but she continued - "was good friends with Renado, the shaman there; I always travelled there and back. I guess my travels are the cause of my good swordsmanship... Anyway, this would make the most beautiful home."

"The crater indeed emphasizes the beauty of the night sky," Delano smiled, the moonlight casting its light on his skin, making him look even paler. "However, I feel as though it is my duty by now to keep us on track. Where is Impa, Sheik?"

Walking briskly, Sheik said, "I don't know…but I have a hunch." With only that being said, he finally broke out into a run, bounding past all the abandoned market stands, unable to keep his composure.

Link raised an eyebrow at the others, and sped up his pace to keep up with him. The confused five tried to keep pace with Sheik, but no one outran him, so excited was the young Sheikah. He stopped momentarily to run his hands fleetingly over the ruins of the marble statue that must have stood tall and high once, and he bowed his head in an odd sort of respect with his eyes closed, murmuring a few unheard words. Then, he took off again. Ilia laughed at the strangeness of this motion, and Link smiled, wondering about the significance of the statue.

Eventually, Sheik had finally reached the end of the crater opposite to the magically hidden entrance, which was a very long distance. Sheik tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the others to catch up. "What is with you people?" he frowned. "You're being such Chu."

"I am _not _comparable to a cave slug!" Zelda screeched, at the same time that Link grinned, "That's ol' Sheik."

Delano elbowed Ilia, eyes shining with mirth, and Hans chuckled.

Sheik snorted. "Whatever you people are thinking, now is not the time." The others looked at what stood on the edge of the crater: a house. Not a house quite like the ones that hugged the edges of the crater; this was much larger. Compared to the other houses, this house looked like a palace. Once-intricate wood carvings, now worn with age, adorned the door that stood like a gate to the unknown. The wood looked sturdy though, even after years of abandon.

"Now is the time to…" He swallowed, looking nervous and drained of his earlier eagerness. Zelda patted his shoulder, knowing what was going on in his mind. No words were needed to be said; all was spoken with the kind faces. Glad for their comfort, Sheik shuddered and put his hand on the doorknob. Then, as though it took all his strength, he twisted it, and the door swung inwards by itself, creaking open and allowing moonlight to spill into the dark house.

"Well, well, well," an elderly voice came out from inside, accompanied by slow footsteps approaching them. "It's not often that I get visitors."

* * *

Vaati stormed through the Hyrule Castle Gardens towards the palace, ignoring the looks from the captured Hylian and Human soldiers as well as the dumb stares of the Moblins. All who had watched him storm through the Castle Town had become panicked to be in the presence of this man's obvious rage; perhaps he kept it from his face well, but it was clear in his fiery red eyes. His head caked in blood, robes torn and slightly burned, bloodied purple cap in his pale hands, he was certainly a sight to be frightened of.

As he passed the crushed remains of the once-tall Hylian statue, he took vague notice that squares of twilight were coalescing together beside him like a jigsaw puzzle being assembled, falling in from the sky. Even before the twilight had regained colour, Vaati acknowledged him in a bored tone as he walked, "Twilight King."

The cloud of black squares kept pace with him, forming into a humanoid shape and finally being coloured into Zant, who walked alongside him. He snorted at the title Vaati had used for him, choosing to call the mage in turn in a pointed way, "Threatened_ imposter_ of the Twilight King."

Vaati sighed impatiently, irritation adding to his already pent-up anger at losing the Triforce-bearer to a mere Sheikah whose wholesome heritage was nearly washed away while living with these other races. "You're still angry about that _joke_ I pulled?" He shook his head as though speaking to a child. "You take things far too seriously, Zant. You always have. And besides, you know that Ganondorf wouldn't have let me keep the Twilight Realm anyway. He thinks he's been giving me too much power lately."

As always, Zant's expression, if it existed at all, could not be discerned thanks to his ugly lizard helmet. In truth, Vaati could not remember a time where he had actually seen Zant's face. "You know you would have denied the Dark Lord's orders, if your plan had succeeded. And being the pet of his that you are, he would give you that sickly little smile he gives you each day and let you be off with my homeland, letting me be a mere shadow in the Light World," he sulked.

The mage shrugged, his purple cape billowing as they stepped up the stairs together and ignored the guards. "Think what you will; it had been intended as merely a prank," he said.

Zant chuckled through his mask, his mood lifting at the thought of Vaati's failure. "Well, you will be punished in full. The dog Vaati has failed to catch the bone for his master," he said, satisfied at the images of violence in his mind involving a silver knife at the pale skin of Vaati's throat.

Contrary to what Zant had expected, Vaati smirked, amused by Zant's naiveté. "You said it yourself, Zant: I am his pet. His dog, you eloquently put it. Will the master kill his dog for something as little as not catching the bone, if the bone will inevitably be brought back in any case?"

Vaati snickered as he knew that Zant, who had fallen silent, would be glaring were he not wearing his helmet. Winning this argument against his Interloper rival had brought up his spirits, as it always had, and he mentally praised his own wit. The smirk still on his face, he began on the stairs as Zant simply warped ahead. Vaati grinned wider as he imagined that Zant couldn't walk to the top, always wearing that bulky attire of his. He flew up the stairs, not tiring because of the magic pulsing in his blood, and he flung open the doors in an egotistic way to let himself into the Throne Room, where Ganondorf, Twinrova, and Zant awaited him.

Flashing a victorious smirk at Zant, who stood still and silent, he approached the two Gerudo. Twinrova's lips curved into a knowing smile; Vaati knew she was reading his mind and inwardly laughing at his failure. Twinrova was actually the product of the fusion of two people: the Gerudo elders, Koume and Kotake. The elders had been undertaking magical experiments when an accident brought the two of them into one being with immense power and knowledge. She acted like a mother figure not only to Ganondorf, but also to the Dark Interlopers. Vaati had always relied on her wisdom, but along with the increase of power from the fusion came a sharper wit, which was always annoying.

At this thought, Twinrova laughed aloud, her voice sounding as always a bit like two voices speaking at once. It produced an odd echo that made others slightly confused as to what she was saying. "Mage, be careful of what your little head is thinking," she teased.

Vaati's lips twitched.

"It appears that your favourite Interloper has failed, my son," she continued, addressing Ganondorf. Vaati watched Ganondorf carefully, as his master was capricious; at times, he was overly strict with Vaati; at other times, Ganondorf was far too careless about him. The mage always managed to take advantage of the situation, however, being very wily about the occurrences around him. Twinrova snickered at this, but she knew it was true.

Ganondorf, this time, was stern. "Vaati, please give a report." His sentence was short, but the tone of disappointment was there.

"The woman gave you one, my lord," he answered, a smile breaking out on his face as he gestured at Twinrova. "I failed. What more is there to tell?"

"The story of _how_ you let the Triforce-bearers escape," Ganondorf returned. "How, and not just what. It always seemed to me, Vaati, that you aren't one to let your prey escape. Perhaps another has dissuaded you."

Vaati's countenance hardened at the thought of that cursed Sheikah. His mind flew back to the past, memories of failed plots making him grind his teeth together; it occurred to him that it was always that one family of Sheikah that managed to be intertwined with his doings. But they hadn't been wily enough to foil the plot of his to ruin Old Kakariko. However, that one victory did not outweigh the hundreds of failures they had caused.

"I know that look of yours," Ganondorf chuckled before Vaati could say a word. "Eyes staring at the ground, fists clenched as hard as your jaw is. Was it _really_ Impa? Again? I find it hard to believe, ever since she was exiled. We haven't seen her for–"

"No, it was not her, my lord," he cut him off coldly. "But… you are only off by one generation."

"Sheik, hmm?" The King rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "It seems that the Queen's guard is more capable than I had originally thought."

Zant finally spoke. "He _was_ trained by Impa, my lord, perhaps trained just to keep up the family tradition: to foil all of Vaati's plans," he said, amusement filling his tone.

Ganondorf smiled at this. His mirth was fuelled by the hatred between Zant and Vaati, and he asked Vaati, "Do you ever wonder if Zant will attempt to kill you?"

Vaati's chin rose in playful defiance at Zant, who snorted at this action. "Oh, yes. Yes, I have. And, reversely…"

Stifling laughter, Twinrova said to Vaati, "Your mind is so very amusing, mage." In one instant, Twinrova was by his side, easily a head taller than him, and she tapped his head with a finger, catching him quite by surprise. He smirked and leapt away, shooting a bolt of purple lightning at her, which she returned back at him, twice as fast, by simply swiping away the bolt with her batons of fire and ice. Vaati sidestepped it with his inhuman speed, and even then the bolt missed only by an inch, blasting a hole open in the wall with a loud crash.

"Blast it, you two," Ganondorf frowned, pointing at them. "You're remaking that piece of wall with your own magic; I have no desire to waste my own."

Before his sentence was done, the wall was already repaired, looking as though nothing had ever harmed it. Twinrova cracked a grin, her eyes flashing with magic. "My lord, I must ask now," Vaati began. "Where am I to go next to–?"

"_You_ aren't going to search for them again," the King interrupted him, which surprised Vaati, as he would usually get his way with Ganondorf. "I've already sent Veran to go. After all, if she was diligent enough to kill Onox, it should be child's play to catch a group of kids."

Vaati's anger returned as he realized what the King was implying: he thought him a fool for not completing such a simple task. For not retrieving the bone that was so easy to catch. "And what of Majora, Shadow, and me?" he asked, fighting to keep his anger contained, carefully within his control.

"Don't worry, mage, you will have much more fun than Veran will hope to have. You three are to… shall we say, bring a new Interloper into creation, with the help of Twinrova. And this… is the beginning of our new partner." Ganondorf raised his hand, showing them a strand of golden-brown hair between his thumb and index finger.

Every smile in the room widened. Vaati's anger quickly dissipated into nothing, and he laughed to himself. "This will be interesting," he murmured as Ganondorf placed the single strand onto Vaati's pale hand. His fingers clenched into a fist, the strand of hair crinkling in his grasp.

* * *

"G-G-Grandmother?" Sheik stuttered, staring at the old woman before them. The others were silent, a bit taken aback by Sheik's bewilderment.

The wrinkled woman's face crinkled more as she smiled. She was a short, elderly woman, about foot shorter than Sheik himself, with her silver hair tied up into a neat bun at the back of her head. A headband rested above her brow, with the Sheikah eye pattern sewed onto it. Blue robes hung from her shoulders, and a pendant identical to Sheik's circled her neck. Her red eyes observed the six people who had arrived at her door. "Is it such a horrible surprise to see your own grandmother, Sheik?" she smiled, her eyes knowing and wise.

"No, Grandmother," Sheik hastily said, "I was just expecting–"

"Yes, your mother…" the woman sighed, her head shaking in despair, which immediately brought Sheik to panic, of course.

"What happened to her? Is she alright? When–" he began, frightened like a hare being pursued by a wolf.

"Be at peace, Grandson," she told him, her eyes calm. "You have no need for worry. All will be explained in time, but first, I must know these people you have brought and why you have brought them to the Sheikah's private village ruins." Her words were pointed, but not exactly accusing either.

"I apologize, Grandmother. But you will soon know that old secrets can't be withheld anymore." Sheik gestured at the door. "Perhaps we should go outside? It's too nice a night to be inside."

"Of course," she nodded slowly, walking past all of the people without suspicion. Link watched her, wondering her name. He glanced at Sheik, who nodded encouragingly.

The elderly woman made her way to the ruined marble statue, placing her hand gently onto the stone, bowing her head and murmuring words of respect. Link's curiosity of the statue grew, quite aggravatingly; what in the world made this statue, in such a ruined state now, so significant? But for now, his curiosity had to wait, for the woman had just said, "So, Sheik, do introduce me to these newcomers."

Sheik naturally began with Zelda, a hand on her shoulder in a brotherly gesture. "This is Zelda, the Princess of Hyrule."

"You are of the Royal Family?" The woman's eyebrows raised in surprise, obviously not anticipating the arrival of someone of such high social status. Zelda's head bowed in answer to the question. "I see. I should have seen the resemblance to the former Queen; you look every bit as beautiful as she… It is an honour, Your Highness." She bowed with her right fist over her chest in what Link suspected to be a Sheikah custom. Zelda smiled, having been tired of not being treated as superior, and bowed her head in respect to a relative of Sheik's.

Beckoning at Delano, Sheik introduced Delano as he came forward, "This is Delano, one of the commanders of the Hylian Army."

As the woman looked at Delano, her eyes widened a bit, but after an instant she seemed to regain her composure. Link wondered at this while she said, her eyebrows with a slight crease in them, "A pleasure, Delano." The said man graciously bowed at the waist.

Hans was introduced, and so was Ilia. Last came Link, and Sheik spoke, "And this is Link, also from the village of Ordon."

The woman's eyes seemed to be inspecting him more than she observed anyone else. A frown was on her face, and her eyes bored into him, making him feel rather uncomfortable. "Link, is it? If it is not too much to ask, may I see your hands? And Princess, yours as well."

Link flashed an alarmed glance at Zelda, who returned the look of worry rather than glaring back. He tentatively raised his hands for the woman to scrutinize as Zelda did, knowing that she was searching for the Triforce. Link looked back at Sheik, unsure about the whole thing, motioning with his head at the others who didn't know of the Triforce either. But Sheik only shrugged, as if he knew that the others would have to know one day.

"So, Ganondorf has ascended to power…" the woman said solemnly, staring up at the sky now instead of their hands.

Everyone was taken aback at the unerring statement she had spoken, seemingly discerned simply by looking at hands. "Grandmother, how do you know?" Sheik said in surprise, stepping closer to her.

She seemed not to hear him as she scanned the sky, sighing. The stars seemed to stare back. Then her eyes shifted back down to the group of six. "I suppose a proper greeting is far overdue, and you are lucky that I am the one who can give it… Welcome to Old Kakariko, newcomers. My name is Ni-Khah. I was the Sheikah elder of this old village, before our race disintegrated. I have seen this village in its time of glory, when children shrieked and ran across the town square, when people stayed around the market stands without a care in the world… and I have watched it crumble. I ran from the terrorists that call themselves the Dark Interlopers as they drove us out. I myself was pursued by the cursed mage Vaati, and I escaped. I saw all of these stages of my beloved hometown, and still I live in it after its ruin."

Link's eyes widened, and he glanced back at Sheik for confirmation of this fact that the Interlopers destroyed the Sheikah's glory. Sheik nodded solemnly, his crimson eyes sorrowful in grief.

"The stars foretold me of the happenings of Hyrule; the signs were everywhere. The presence of the Triforce in you two" – she gestured vaguely at Link and Zelda – "only confirmed it. I saw the future with my Lens of Truth as well, a Sheikah artefact handed down in the family of elders… There is no need to explain to me the story of what happened at the castle, for I am well versed with it by now."

"Ni-Khah, I apologize for interrupting," Ilia said, her words halting with uncertainty, "but did you say that Link and Zelda… bear the Triforce?"

"Why yes," she answered, surprised. She looked at Sheik, Link, and Zelda, her look both quizzical and stern. "You thought not to tell the people you travel with?"

Silenced, no one replied. Link shifted uncomfortably, feeling as though he was being scolded. It was an odd feeling, for he had never had a parent figure to reprimand him. The fact brought that familiar prick of pain in his heart, but he ignored it as always. Ni-Khah bowed her head. "I suppose your secrecy was not unwarranted, but at least they know now: the Triforce of Courage dwells within this young man, and the Triforce of Wisdom is held by your country's Princess."

For a long moment, Ilia, Hans, and Delano simply stood there, agape. Delano was the first to recollect himself. "Fate," he said thoughtfully, "seems to like complicating things."

"You are wise," Ni-Khah said, turning to him. Upon her face was an awfully curious but also very stern look. "I believe you know more than most of us do, perhaps excluding me."

"You are… too kind," Delano said, rather uncomfortably.

"One day we will have to talk," Ni-Khah continued, her red eyes staring him down, but not quite in a menacing way. Link was confused by this odd exchange; why was Ni-Khah acting so strangely about Delano?

"Of course."

Ni-Khah sighed, her fingers rubbing her temples. "I digress; I should be asking why you are here. So please do explain, young ones."

Sheik spoke up again. "Have you made a connection to the situation to any of the folklore that we Sheikah tell?"

"If you're referring to the legend of the Hero of Time, yes," Ni-Khah nodded sagely. Link was impressed by the level of intelligence both Sheikah had.

"I had made the same assumption. I led this group here in search of Impa, to perhaps find out more about the Hero of Time, who could possibly be his successor, as well as the Sages'."

The Sheikah elder looked as though she were in a trance. "If information about that particular legend is what you are looking for, you are fortunate that I had come back to Old Kakariko… I know the Hero of Time legend better than even Impa, and she found it so interesting that she had begged to have me retell it to her as a child. It must be an inherited interest." The two Sheikah shared a smile, and then Ni-Khah continued. "I suppose Impa's absence does need explaining, though; Impa is currently travelling through Hyrule. Where exactly, I know not, but I do know that she is in the Eldin Province. The reason escapes me, for she left in haste, telling me not to worry. But I do worry, because Impa hardly ever rushes. And when she rushes to leave, _and _the stars refuse to tell me what is happening with her… something tells me there _is _cause for worry."

Looking pensive and anxious at the same time, Sheik said, "This disturbs me, too. She mentioned no reason?"

"No, and that worries me further. However, I trained her well, and she trained you well; that adds up to someone who must be capable. I know she will return. The Eye of Truth tells it… but in what condition, I do not know." Ni-Khah bowed her head, eyes closed. "But enough of this. We must talk about the Hero of Time and the Seven Sages. But fortune certainly smiles upon you, for I do know the identity of the contemporary Sage of Light."

At this, everyone started. "Then out with it, woman, tell us!" Hans exclaimed, forgetting all rules of courtesy and politeness.

Ni-Khah's eyes opened to turn an amused look onto the soldier. "Soldier, all will be told in time. This village is well sealed from all incomers. The crater walls are so high that even if a magician could to scale it, they would faint from the lack of breathable air at the altitude. There is no reason to rush–"

"But the Interlopers destroyed this village; why can't they come in now?" Hans whined.

At this, Ni-Khah's amusement suddenly soured into resentment, her eyes narrowing. The bitterness she felt about the fall of the Sheikah village was obviously still as strong as it was when she had fled the village from them; she had loved the village enough to come back to its ruins and live in them. "It was a fatal mistake made by one very foolish person," she said, the venom evident in her tone.

An awkward silence ensued, until Ilia finally broke the silence. "Ni-Khah, please don't be offended. We simply do not want time to be wasted," she said, flashing a scolding glance at Hans, who shrugged carelessly. "But please do continue. Who is the Sage of Light?"

Ni-Khah's frown eased away with Ilia's words, and she smiled at the young Ordonian girl. "So very polite," she praised Ilia, "and for that I will reward you with the knowledge. You look at the Sage of Light as I speak; I am the successor of Rauru, the first Sage of Light who sent the Hero of Time on his quest. I suppose tradition has maintained that the Sage of Light would begin the Hero's journey."

Link's eyes widened in surprise, unaware that one Sage would be revealed already. He knew that only advice on how to proceed in the resistance of Ganondorf's plight would be expected from this visit, yet they were already one step closer to openly rebelling against the King. Link looked at the others to see more dumbfounded expressions, and also Hans's sheepish face, as he had just offended a Sage. But one other thing about what Ni-Khah had said bothered him. "Sage of Light," he spoke, bowing deeply with a profound respect, "I am honoured to meet you." Ni-Khah's head bowed down in return. "However, there_ is_ one thing you said that struck me: you said you would begin the Hero's journey. Are you implying that one of us is the new Hero?"

Ni-Khah's eyes closed as she sighed. "You are a sharp one, Link… To answer your question, yes. I do sense the aura of the Hero of Time here. It lies within one of you. That is indeed odd, for I had presumed the spirit of the Hero of Time to be sleeping. It has awakened for some reason, however."

Anxious glances were exchanged. Zelda snorted, and everyone knew what she was thinking.

"However, I cannot be sure exactly who it is, as the Triforce's presence is warping my Eye of Truth's vision." Sheik and Ilia released groans of disappointment while Delano frowned and Hans scowled. Link and Zelda stood there uncomfortably, knowing it was they who were causing the disturbance. Ni-Khah smiled calmly at their frustration. "Do not fear, young ones. I believe the Goddesses will tell us the new Hero's identity soon. There is nothing else to do but wait, as you have no knowledge of where to search. Spend a few days here, and I know the Goddesses will send a sign."

More groans. More moans.

More time wasted.

* * *

Two days passed. During these two days, the six of the weary travellers tried to relax as Ni-Khah had suggested, but it quickly became apparent that no one could loosen up until the Hero's identity was revealed. Link felt as if he could never be a Hero, but also felt a spark of excitement enter his heart when he pondered the possibility of him being the Hero of Time's successor. But that created tension between some of them; they felt awkward, as though they were competing to be a Hero. Zelda showed no interest of being a Hero, however, instead choosing to freely express her opinion that she doubted any of them were actually the Hero's successor. Ilia also seemed indifferent, but she was a bit curious to know who the Hero was. Between each of the men, there was just complete tension. Feeling as though he couldn't even bear to be in their presence for over fifteen minutes, he withdrew from the others and talked mostly with Ilia.

Ni-Khah had quickly caught on to the fact that the group wasn't going to be calming down anytime soon. Over the course of the two days, she showed the newcomers the wonders of Old Kakariko Village with pride. She showed them that the houses that people had once resided in were lined up along the edges of the crater, on the opposite side to the hidden entrance. The buildings closer to the entrance had been multi-purpose; the purpose of the buildings had depended solely on whoever had the right to the building. Link could tell Ni-Khah was trying to keep these memories firmly planted in her mind as she told them the stories. Whenever she couldn't remember a certain detail about something, she would become quiet and brooding.

She led them into the Shadow Temple, the place where long ago, the Sheikah had performed their religious rituals. She told them the history of the Temple, about how the Hero of Time had defeated a dark beast to awaken a Sheikah Sage in the deepest caves below the Temple. The Lens of Truth had been found here, used by the Hero of Time to get at the beast, and it had been returned to the Sheikah elders of the time after the Hero had no need of it.

Ni-Khah had led them through a two day tour. It was interesting to know the history of the Sheikah, and the village was amazing, from how perfectly it was concealed to how well the Sheikah had made use of the crater.

Link wished the damned tour would just end, though.

It was the second evening now, after a long dragging through the Shadow Temple's caves, filled with hieroglyphs on the rock walls. Zelda had gotten lost in the dark depths of the caves, and Link had been forced to drag her out, weaving his way through the passages miserably as Zelda whined and complained. It had taken all the strength out of him not to simply leave her in the Temple, but his stupid 'sense of righteousness' wouldn't let him do that. He almost screamed in relief when he had sight of the Temple's cave entrance, and he had pushed Zelda out of the cave uncaringly which bought him many complaints after climbing out himself.

As they walked out of the Temple, Link felt the cool night air wash over him. Breathing a sigh of relief, he stepped forward to let the others exit. His eyes scanned the sky for the moon, but its pearly glow was absent; the crater would be dark tonight. He paid the others no attention as his eyes wandered over the village ruins, looking idly for something to _do_. Then he spotted the broken marble statue, lonely in the very centre of the village. Link remembered his confusion whenever Ni-Khah and Sheik had seemed to give a prayer to the statue. "Ni-Khah, could you tell us about the statue in the centre of the village? I'm curious as to what it used to depict."

The Sheikah elder nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression on her face as the others exited the Temple. "Yes," she said finally, "I will introduce you to the statue."

The six travellers were led to the broken marble statue. At this proximity, Link could see that it had harsh cracks all over, as though someone had hacked at it with a weapon to break it down. The statue had been broken to pieces now, and its remains gave no clue to tell about the former shape of the statue. It was unmistakable, however, that this statue used to be massive. Ni-Khah's pace slowed as she neared the statue, and as usual, she bowed to the statue, saying words alien to Link with deep respect.

Drawing herself upright again, Ni-Khah spoke, her gaze not straying from the torn down statue, "It is fortunate that you reminded me of this statue, Link… This was once a marble carving of the great Hero of Time."

Shock ran through Link's mind, and he found that every gesture that either Sheikah had made to the statue was now justified. The others stood still and silent. Ni-Khah continued, "Most rituals were performed in the Shadow Temple, yes, but everything that honoured the Hero of Time was done here, in the middle of the village. Sometimes, all of the village's inhabitants gathered here to send prayers to the man who saved the whole of Hyrule. Some people even thought him more important than the three Goddesses… I myself still pray to the Hero whenever I pass this statue. He did a great many things no one else dared try."

The cracked marble suddenly seemed much more significant than Link could have imagined before. He had a strange urge to run his hands over the stone, but tried not to as it would be rude to interrupt Ni-Khah's tale. "The Hero of Time never truly had a home; he had always been a wanderer, a nomad. He never liked to stay in civilization for too long, for he attracted to much attention. He was very humble, and he preferred the wilderness rather than the streets. But the Sheikah had always revered him the most… So we gave him a statue of tribute."

Then Link couldn't stand it anymore. He had to touch the marble, he _had _to, had to, had to. He walked forward, and as his fingers brushed over the cracked stone, something came over him.

Link gasped, his knees falling to the ground like they could no longer function. His hands quickly found the dirt underneath him, steadying himself somewhat. He lurched as his vision flashed every colour of the rainbow. Reds, oranges, and yellows pulsed where white was supposed to be, while greens, blues, and purples appeared and disappeared in his sight, making him feel nauseous. He clutched at the marble without realizing, clenching the stone so tightly that his arm was shaking. His mouth tasted metallic; his teeth felt heavy; he heard a sound like a Keese shrieking right into his ears; he smelled the rusty scent of blood. Everything felt like a lightning bolt striking him, and he was so lost in these sensations that he began to stop moving completely.

Right at the moment that he had frozen in place, all the horrible sensations stopped in an instant, and it was replaced by a scene was playing through his head. But the images were very distorted, so hard to understand, but he struggled to catch the details.

Link saw the ruins of Old Kakariko in the very same state as it was around him. He saw a storekeeper's shop, tattered as the ones that surrounded him at that very moment, with many oddities on the stands. He saw a volcano towering above him, crowned a glowing red at the top and spouting an angry amount of lava out, spewing into the air or running off the sides of the mountain. He saw a cascading waterfall that crashed down to feed the fast-flowing rivers that raced to a single magnificent lake. He saw a cave, spacious but dank and dark, with pools of crimson liquid at his feet, somehow knowing it was blood. He saw a whirling sandstorm, whipping grains of the desert into his face mercilessly. And last, he saw Hyrule Castle before him as he stood in the Hyrule Castle Gardens.

He saw all of this within five seconds.

"Link! Link! Say something!" Ilia was yelling at him. "Stay awake! Look at me!"

He felt himself shaking uncontrollably, quite contrary to his earlier stillness. Or had he been still at all? He didn't know. He wasn't looking at any of the people crowding him, but he was looking into the stars. He noticed vaguely, through his shaking, that it was a perfectly lovely night. "What in Din's fiery hell _happened_?" Delano was shouting.

He felt smooth fingers at his wrist, only to feel the hand jump away like a spider was there. "His heartbeat is horribly erratic! It's jumping like mad! And his skin is like hot coal!" he heard Zelda yelp in a panicked manner.

"What did he do?" he heard Sheik exclaim.

"He just touched the marble and he just went into a seizure!" Hans replied loudly, fear cracking his voice.

Link felt his convulsions worsen, and his limbs were shaking so badly that the others had to pin him down so he wouldn't hurt anyone. He couldn't relax his muscles no matter how hard he tried, and he heard Ni-Khah's voice, louder than he had ever heard it before, say, "Give him this sleeping potion, now! He needs to relax and rest above all else."

He felt cold glass pressing at his lips, a cool liquid pouring into his mouth, some of it dripping down the sides of his mouth. He choked it down, and immediately felt the effects of the potion lull him into drowsiness. He didn't notice that his spasms were stopping now, but he did notice blackness replacing his sight.

* * *

Ilia stared at Link's sweaty face, worry clawing at her heart, but her face expressionless. Link had been sleeping for two hours, but Ilia could not say the same. Her anxiety had kept her at his side, scared for her childhood friend's health. He had been tossing, turning, and sweating, which were probably the effects of a nightmare. She had asked Ni-Khah over and over about what this seizure could have meant, but the elder had refused to speak her thoughts on the matter before Link woke. Ilia looked at the others, sleeping on the wooden floor of Ni-Khah's home, and Ni-Khah came to her side.

"My dear, do not worry as you do," she said soothingly to the girl. "Link will be fine. I simply gave him a strong sleeping potion so that the seizure would not come over him again."

"I'm fine," Ilia protested, wanting to appear only mildly worried, her face carefully devoid of emotion.

Ni-Khah smiled. "You are a strong one," she told her, "and you want yourself to seem that way. But right now, I know you are worried for your friend. You asked of his condition many times; you were the most affected by this. You are frightened for him… I take it you do not appreciate showing signs of weakness?"

The girl was silenced by the accuracy of Ni-Khah's words. "Am I that easy to read?" she asked.

"No, I am only an experienced reader," Ni-Khah replied with a laugh. "But we stray from the topic… I believe Link should be waking soon, and I want to discuss his condition with all of you. What came over him tonight was not ordinary."

"I noticed that."

The elder smiled again, a fond look in her eyes at hearing the tone in Ilia's voice. "Ilia, you need not fear. He will be fine."

"None of this ever happened back in Ordon…" she said, her eyes looking at wooden floorboards.

"Things change, my dear, faster than anyone wants them to," she commented, taking Link's wrist in her hand and searching for his heartbeat.

"I know," Ilia whispered, thinking of her earlier worries of the friendship between her and Link.

They were silent for a moment. Ilia started when Link stirred at Ni-Khah's touch, and he eventually opened his eyes, drooping from his slumber. "Ungh," Link groaned out.

"Link," Ni-Khah said, "do you remember what happened?" Ilia took the wet cloth by his side and handed it to Link, becoming silent as Link thought about his answer.

"Oh, those images…" Link mumbled to himself as he wiped the sweat off his face, and Ni-Khah looked at him intently.

"Images?" the Sheikah elder asked him with eyes wider than usual.

"Yes, many of them, flying through my mind," he said.

"Do you remember what they entailed?" Ni-Khah asked him intently.

Link sat up a bit on the blanket on the floor, propping himself up with an elbow. "Let me think…" he said slowly, concentrating. "I remember hearing high-pitched sounds. I smelled blood. Then all of it stopped, and I felt myself stop moving too. Then I saw visions. I saw… Old Kakariko. Then a market stand. A volcanic eruption… and what I thought might be a waterfall. Oh, and a cave with pools of blood on the floor… a sandstorm… and Hyrule Castle. It was like I was seeing it right in front of me, but the images disappeared as quickly as they appeared."

"Count them. How many did you see?" Ni-Khah threw one last question at him.

"Seven," he said after a moment, and then he frowned again. "Why does that matter?"

It seemed as though Ni-Khah didn't hear his words, but she looked at her palm, pensive. Link and Ilia waited uncomfortably for her to respond, and when she did, she didn't answer the question. "I will speak will all of you once the others have awoken. I will be outside…" With that, she made her way to the door, walking out as the door closed behind her.

Ni-Khah wrapped her robes around her tighter against the chill, shivering slightly. But she knew the cold wasn't only caused by the evening. She made her way toward the lone, broken marble in the centre of the square as the breeze blew at her stray strands of hair. She knelt to one of the fragments of the statue. As her fingers ran over the marble, a tear dropped onto the white stone. She watched as it slithered down the marble to the ground. Then she looked up at the sky, witnessing dawn light the sky, and she sighed. "The cycle starts again," she murmured.

* * *

It wasn't long until the others woke. Sheik had gotten up as Ni-Khah left, claiming that he heard their whole conversation. Link and Ilia both asked him about what Ni-Khah's thoughts could be, but he only shook his head in confusion. Delano woke of thirst, and as he drank from Ni-Khah's purified reserve, the others filled him in on what had transpired. It didn't take long for Hans to wake, and the same went for Zelda. Once they had all mentally braced themselves for what was to come, they called Ni-Khah in.

Everyone noticed that Ni-Khah was taking her time to make her entrance. She walked slowly as though afraid of explaining what she had to; not even Sheik knew why she was so reluctant to tell. Link wondered what was going on through the elder's mind: was this another privacy issue, characteristic of a Sheikah? Or was it different, a more personal matter? Either way, Ni-Khah eventually made it to the wooden door and let herself inside. She was silent still as she sat herself on a chair.

"Grandmother, is something the matter?" Sheik said anxiously as he came to her side. Ni-Khah stayed quiet, not hearing his words, an action of hers that the others had quickly become used to.

For a long while, she brooded upon her own thoughts, until she finally spoke, "I trust that all of you know of the images that appeared in Link's mind?" The heads in the room bobbed up and down. "Good, then… No time shall be wasted." Link decided not to point out that her long silence already wasted a good bit of time. "There is no point in turning this into a story… What Link experienced was prophetic; the images were visions of what is to come. And the person to whom the Goddesses delivered these prophetic visions was no coincidence, for they chose to show them to the one person who would best use the visions: the new Hero."

Shock made silence scream into the room. Link's expression was blank, for he did not know whether to be pleased or dismayed by the knowledge. But at the moment, Hans's cold stare told him all he had to know about the other five's opinions.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, Ni-Khah," Link blurted out, "but you must be mistaken. I'm no Hero. I am a farmhand raised from a province just outside of Hyrule! How could the Goddesses choose someone so lowly?" He deliberately avoided looking at Zelda's face here.

Ni-Khah turned to Link slowly. "It was not the Goddesses who chose you; it was the Hero of Time. It was him who gazed into the future of our land and picked out his successor – you. Of that there is no doubt. You are the new Hero, and since the Hero of Time selected you to carry on his work, the Goddesses blessed you with the Triforce of Courage."

"But I –"

"And besides," Ni-Khah cut him off with a forceful tone, "it matters not that you were raised in a village outside of this land. You are a Hylian, are you not? Do not look so surprised; I know more than you give me credit for. You may have grown up in a village with low standing, but you were taught well by your teachers. You have virtuous values, as well as strength, knowledge, and skill."

Link was bewildered by the strength of Ni-Khah's words, and being the humble person he was, he stammered, "You must be mistaken…"

"But I am not." The tone was adamant, and Link couldn't find more words to form a rebuttal.

"Get off your high horse, Link, and accept that you're the Hero," Ilia told him gently yet firmly. "You know it's true."

Link only fell silent.

"Acceptance is the first step," the Sheikah elder said. "I hope you have reached it…" Addressing the whole group now, she elaborated on Link's visions. "When Link told me of his visions, I asked him how many there were. He said seven. This number alone made me realize it meant the places of the Seven Sages were to be found. He saw Old Kakariko, which meant me, the Sage of Light. He also saw a market stand, a volcano, a waterfall, a cave, a sandstorm, and the Castle. These correspond to the elements of the Sages: Fire, Water, Forest, Shadow, Spirit, Time, and Light. They are clues of where to find each of the Seven Sages." Standing from her chair, she walked over to a shelf. She opened up a drawer and took a green pile of clothing out of it, and turned to Link, holding it out to him. "This was woven by the finest Sheikah tailor we had. This attire is very close to what the Hero of Time once wore; it will make you look like a true Hero."

"Ni-Khah," Link started again, making no move to accept the clothes, "are you sure the Hero of Time was _sane?_"

She looked back at Link with very seriously. "Do not doubt the whims of the Hero of Time. Do you think it is mere coincidence that the Sheikah held the Hero of Time in their tales with such steadfast dedication for this many years? Perhaps he was insane. Perhaps he was a bit wrong in the head. But we all know that he was still wiser than any of us."

"But not wise enough to choose the right successor," Link retorted. "I'll admit he did great things, but choosing me is certainly not one of them."

"Who knows, Link? You may prove to be the best thing he has done for Hyrule."

"Keep thinking that," Link muttered as he pushed past Ni-Khah and anyone between him and the door. The said woman made no move to stop him, only closed her eyes and set the Hero's clothes on a side table. The expression on her face was one of pain. Link flung the door open angrily, striding through it and letting it slam behind him. Ilia, being his closest friend, started for the door after him, but hesitatingly, glancing at the others. Nodding at the door, Sheik silently encouraged her to go on. Her lips turned into a sad smile, but a grateful one, and she let herself through the door quietly.

Ni-Khah heaved a shaky sigh, and Sheik came to her side again, rubbing her shoulder. Delano, Zelda, and Hans only watched in sombre silence. "Grandmother," Sheik whispered, "what ails you?"

He eyes stayed still closed. "Sorrow," she replied with a matching tone. The very same one she had felt back at the ruined statue, she thought gloomily. "Fate is cruel when it chooses to bother someone… Link will need time to accept his new title and responsibilities. Let's hope he is mature enough to do so soon, for if he doesn't, Hyrule is doomed."

* * *

Ilia stepped out of the house, her emerald eyes already looking over the expanse of the crater. She stepped away from the house, looking back to see if anyone would call her back inside to leave him alone, but she was grateful when no one did; she knew that he needed her right now. She spotted the familiar village clothes on him near the broken statue, and she walked at a brisk pace towards him. When she was at his side, Link did not look away from the white marble.

For a long, long while, the two simply stood together, side-by-side, in silence. The silence was neither awkward nor relaxing as Ilia waited for him to speak. She didn't know how long they stood there. Judging by how the sun was crawling across the sky, she guessed at an hour. When no speaking came from him for the whole time, she said hesitantly, "Link…"

He raised a hand for her to stop. "I know what you're going to say. That you'll be there for me, right? Even though I'll constantly be a target in danger, and all that?" He shook his head before she could say anything. "I know you will be, because you're my closest friend. You always have been. But it all comes down to that image that makes me want to flee: Ganondorf and me in a battle – alone. It'll end that way."

Ilia drove her sadness back expertly but with that difficulty she always felt. She placed her hand on his arm. "You have to accept this."

He looked at her kind, patient face. "I know I do. But I don't understand why such a legend would pick such a useless fool as me."

"You aren't useless," Ilia said quietly. "You're going to save Hyrule."

A bitter laugh escaped from Link's throat. He couldn't hold it back, even though he tried desperately to. "Perhaps, but it will take time."

Lifting her head to look at his face, she said in surprise, "You're going to go through with this?"

"What other choice do I have? I can't point a sword at the ghost of the Hero of Time and command him to change his choice." He unsheathed his sword, looking at the worn blade with a strange expression on his face. "I don't like it, but if everyone wants a Hero out of me, they'll get one." With a mischievous smile, he said to Ilia, "Get me those Hero's clothes, will you?"

Ilia smiled.

* * *

**Cue the victorious Zelda themes. :)**


	9. Consequences

**I'm alive. :)**

**Well, as alive you can be when the books The Hunger Games and Catching Fire take over your life, and if you've travelled east and back, missing hours of sleep. But here it is: a new chapter. But seriously, read those books, because they are amazing.**

**Thank you, and enjoy.**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 9: Consequences

Link stepped out of the empty house and into the ruined market of Old Kakariko Village, donned in the Hero's clothes. He cringed slightly at the sudden bright sunlight shining from the sky, but his eyes eventually adjusted. Everyone there turned to look at him to look at the new Hero in his full glory. A green tunic hung from his shoulders with brown straps on it for decoration rather than use. He wore leggings and leather boots aside from his tunic, and on his head was a green cap which made most of the others laugh quietly to themselves; Link himself had thought it looked foolish, but he decided to put it on anyway just to honour the Hero of Time.

All in all, the whole attire looked silly on him.

But there _was _something heroic in the image. Perhaps it was the determination that was unmistakable in his cerulean eyes. Or the way he held his old Ordon sword so steadily. He even drew himself up proudly, the stature of a true hero. Maybe it was his handsome smile that had come so easily to his lips. In any case, he was smiling, and that was all that mattered to him. Ilia grinned again while Ni-Khah wiped her eyes, and Delano and Sheik, now having gotten over the fact that they were not the Hero, showed their approval, words unneeded. And as expected, Zelda snorted in a rather unladylike manner, while Hans glowered childishly.

Link didn't care at this point, though. Ilia ran at him and tackled him in a hug, and he laughed in response at her liveliness as he held her. She beamed up at him in their embrace, whispering, "I'm so happy you're doing this." He grinned back, so relieved that she was supporting him. She didn't get any other words from him, but there was answer enough in his smile.

"So, Link, are you ready to look for the second Sage?" Ni-Khah asked him, inwardly chuckling at Link and Ilia's hug. "You certainly look capable of whatever Hyrule decides to throw at you."

"I suppose so," he replied, turning to the Sheikah elder with an arm around Ilia's shoulder, "but where do we go from here? We have clues, but I have no idea of where to search first."

Ni-Khah nodded thoughtfully, her fingers subconsciously tracing the intricately carved lines of her Sheikah-eye pendant. "I have pondered that question myself, and I think the best place to search first is Kakariko Village. Do not look so confused, Hans. Not _this _Kakariko, the one in Eldin. I believe the visions you had were in no coincidental order. If you saw a shop, Link, then I believe a shop should be the first thing to look for. Kakariko is filled with market stands as well as storekeeper's shops, so it makes sense to go there."

He hesitated while the Sheikah elder waited expectantly for his approval. He knew that the shop was likely to not be in Kakariko, for Link remembered the lonely feeling of the shop he had felt during the fleeting moment he saw it. The feeling he had from the vision told him that this shop was unlikely to be in some sort of market or town square. It had had the look that told an onlooker that this shop was in the middle of nowhere, destitute of the company of people. But he knew bringing this up would do nothing but cause doubt among his friends, so he went along with the plan. After all, what else could they do? Kakariko was the best lead they had. "Understood. Is there anything else we might find there?" Link asked, searching for something else that could come out of this trip to Eldin besides blindly grabbing for a Sage who probably wasn't even there.

"There is a chance you may find Impa…" Ni-Khah said after a moment of thought. "If you can find her, I am certain you would be rewarded by valuable information. Perhaps she knows of a shop that matches your vision, Link."

Sheik's expression made it clear that valuable information was not the thing he wanted to find_,_ but he acted like it was all the same. "How would we find her, though?" he said, rather pessimistic. "Since she is exiled from civilization, I doubt it'll be easy to find her."

"It will be quite difficult to locate her, yes, but chances are that if she hears about your arrival, she will come to _you_. And Impa is skilled enough to do so secretly, too."

Satisfied with Ni-Khah's answer, Sheik nodded. "I suppose you're right."

Ni-Khah smiled at her grandson fondly. "You need not worry, Sheik, for all will be well. We have hope, now that we have all of you fighting for Hyrule…" Turning from them, she walked down to the Hero of Time's statue again. The travellers silently followed her, wondering what she was thinking. She touched the marble with her fingertips, and then lifted her head, turning to face them again. "I will remain here. I will be of no use to you in terms of fighting. My light magic does not do well to afflict injuries, for it excels at healing them. It only gives severe damage to the dark magic wielders… I would only hinder your travelling; my youth has gone and past. You six will be more than capable of finding the Sages, I know this. I will house the Sages when you find them, and this will be safe haven from Ganondorf's grasp." Then she paused, something dawning on her face. "Ah yes. There is another thing."

Everyone groaned.

She smiled again at their distress. "Calm down, young ones. It is not a big matter. But you do have to know that the spirit of a Sage can only be awakened under special circumstances. In this case, by yourselves, you cannot awaken a Sage, for none of you contain a Sage spirit that I can sense right now. Even if any of you _are_ Sages, we cannot discern whether you have Sage spirit, simply because there is a strict order Sages must be awakened by. The original Seven Sages had a strange sense of order. And I can help you awaken a Sage spirit, even if I am not with you…"

She reached into a crudely sewed-on pocket of her robe to take out a flat, thick circle, showing it to them. It shone a magnificent golden-yellow, shining brightly with the sunlight glinting off of it, and a simple design of circles and triangles decorated it. "This is the Light Medallion. It is a symbol of my power as the Sage of Light. Normally, I never would have given this to you nor even showed it to anyone, but under the conditions secrecy is no longer a choice… The Light Medallion will awaken the spirit of the Sage of Shadow, and only the Sage of Shadow. Fitting that it should, as light casts shadow… But no matter. If this falls into the hands of the Sage of Shadow, the Sage will know of their importance just by a mere touch with this magical artefact. The spirit will be born within the new Sage, and the Light Medallion will create the Shadow Medallion, which will belong to the new Sage. Remember that the Light Medallion will not awaken any other Sages; it is meant only to revive the spirit of Shadow."

Link struggled to catch all of the details she was throwing at them, knowing it would be fatal to forget this. Ni-Khah chuckled at his expression, patting his shoulder. "Do not look so confused, because you, Link, will be able to contact me through the Light Medallion because of the bonds we share. You can ask me for guidance through it. But for now, we must check if any of _you _are Sages, because it would make your trip useless. However it is unlikely that any of you are associated with Shadow enough to be the Sage of it." Her eyes inconspicuously glanced at Delano, but no one other than Link seemed to notice. His curiosity concerning Ni-Khah's scepticism with Delano grew aggravatingly, and he painfully swallowed the urge to outright ask her.

Ni-Khah held the Medallion out for all of them to touch, inviting them to see if anyone here was the Sage of Shadow. Sheik placed his hand upon it anxiously, but he felt nothing but disappointment. The same went for Hans, and both the women had shaken their heads no. Delano had looked very nervous to make contact with the Medallion, but alas no sensation occurred within him. "That is expected," Ni-Khah nodded. "Probably the wisest solution is not to parade around Kakariko Village and asking anyone you meet to touch the Medallion. If you _do_ attempt that, I will strike you down myself. The Medallions cannot be lost." She mentioned no reason, so no one questioned what would occur if they did get lost, dreading the answer. "Link, if you recognize anything in Kakariko that resembles your vision, _then_ you should invite people you deem worthy to touch the Medallion."

"Understood," Link replied, but one thing still bothered him. "But, Ni-Khah, if it's so difficult to revive a spirit, then how was the Hero spirit within me awakened? I remember nothing in my past that could've triggered an awakening."

A frown showed itself on Ni-Khah's face, and she sighed heavily. "Link, though it is in my ability to see a few obscure flashes of the future, the past is sealed. No magic wielder I know of can reach into the past. Even looking into the future is an intensely difficult matter; the Hero of Time and the Seven Sages were extremely powerful to be able to choose their successors. Your visions were very special as well. I cannot answer your question, but something tells me that something must have happened to you in your earliest stages in life that awakened your spirit."

"You mean that something awoke the Hero's spirit before Link ever came to Ordon?" Ilia asked in surprise.

Delano's head slowly went up and down. "That would make sense. You remember nothing of your life in Hyrule, correct?"

"That's right," Link said.

"I know that my answer did nothing to satisfy your curiosity, Link," Ni-Khah reached out to pat his shoulder, "but this matter, you must find out on your own. For now, the information concerning your spirit's awakening matters little. The Hero within you is here, and you are to do your duty, not dwell upon why and how."

"Yes."

"Then, I bestow upon you, the new Hero of Hyrule, the symbol of my power: the Light Medallion. Guard it well, but not with your life, Link. While the Medallions are a large factor in the resistance against Ganondorf and his Dark Interlopers, you will prove far more important than these Medallions." With grace and dignity, Ni-Khah gave the golden-yellow medal to him with both of her hands. She stepped backwards from him and bowed in the same way she had bowed to Zelda when they had first met. Straightening, she held her head high to tell them, "Good luck, everyone. When you locate the Sage of Shadow, please contact me through my Medallion. I will give you and the new Sage guidance from there."

With that, the six travellers headed to their horses to prepare for their departure. Link took the horses' saddles, handing them out to the respective horses. He came to Epona and began to place the saddle on Epona's broad back as she stood still as trained. Then something came to his mind, and he looked at Epona with an amused expression on his face. "Ilia, this means Epona is the steed of a Hero," he laughed. "Everyone will see her in a new light now, so I guess I can't object your complaining about Epona's health."

She smiled smugly in response, her stubbornness concerning Epona's well-being now justified. Then she said tauntingly, "Remember who you're riding double with before you tease me, Link…" She winked mischievously as she turned to Sheik and Storm. Link's mood dropped like a rock, and he muttered curses under his breath as he turned to see the Princess already mounted Epona's saddle. _How in Din's fiery hell did she get up there so fast? _Link thought grumpily.

"Well?" Princess Zelda looked down at him accusingly. "You've already doomed Hyrule by_ living_, so you should get a move on," she stopped, her face twisting into a smile, a bitter, cruel one, and she called him in a sarcastic tone, "_O Great Hero._"

Link could feel his blood boiling as always with Zelda. But he also realized he felt a great sadness reside in his mind, knowing many others would now look down upon him, a mere Ordonian in a Hero's clothes. It pained him to know that the Princess, whose fate was surely entwined tightly with his, had no faith in him. As had become usual, he struggled to suppress his agitation and didn't respond to her words, being too preoccupied by his gloomy thoughts. Instead he motioned at her to move back on the saddle, and he leapt onto the front of the saddle easily. Grabbing Epona's reins, he twisted Epona around to trot toward the crater's magically hidden exit as Zelda wound a tentative arm around him. His mood was quite contrary to the former cheer when he had stepped out of the house earlier, and he hated Zelda for it. Not that he hadn't hated her before.

Being in front of her, Link did not see Zelda's countenance saddening at his silence.

* * *

It was only two hours of southward travel before Link, Zelda, Delano, and Hans did not hear Sheik's reassuring whistle. They had just left the rocky terrain of the mountain and had ventured into a thick forest before Sheik and Ilia went ahead to search the area.

Epona pawed the forest ground nervously with her hoof as the four people and two horses stood motionless, and Link felt the same anxiety that she felt. Were they attacked? Caught? Perhaps even dead already? "What do you think is going on?" Link whispered, trying to prevent his voice from shaking. The eerie stillness of the forest allowed his quiet words to be easily heard by the others.

"I don't like it," was all Hans mumbled.

"Sheik and Ilia have to be in trouble," Delano said. His whole body looked tense, as though ready for a battle. He veered Shade around to exit the forest in haste. "Sheik hasn't whistled nor returned for fifteen minutes. We have to find another route around. Their scouting was done for our safety, and we'll have to respect that. Come on."

"No!" Zelda ground her teeth, prodding Link to proceed through the forest. "I am _not _losing Sheik, Mr. Important Hero. And frankly, I don't think you want to lose your lover-girl, so hurry up and get Epona to go ahead!"

Link carefully ignored the title Zelda had used for Ilia and told Delano, "As much as I hate to admit it, I think the Princess is right." He decided not to mention that he could _not _lose Ilia, in the same way Zelda had to find Sheik. "We can't go on without Sheik and Ilia. If we get to Kakariko Village, we'll be able to search for that shop, yes, but Sheik is our key to the best lead we have so far: Impa. Without him, she won't meet with us. Besides, I don't remember him saying that we should leave them to die if they didn't whistle."

"That's what he intended!" Delano retorted angrily. When Link opened his mouth to argue, he raised his hand to stop his words. "Fine. But if we get killed, it's your fault. Both of you."

Link nodded grimly and, ignoring Hans's obvious fear, he tapped Epona's underside with his heels. She trotted forward with Shade at her right, and everyone grabbed their weapons, readying for the threat that had prevented Sheik from whistling. The forest's trees seemed to be thicker here, and Link found it hard to see through the darkness that fell upon them. With the knowledge that his vision was impaired now, he felt adrenaline rise up in him already. The sun shone above the trees, being afternoon, but not much of it could filter all the way through the foliage to provide proper lighting. Grasping his sword tightly, Link struggled to scan both the canopy and the underbrush before them, searching for Storm, his riders, and any potential dangers.

Even with his sharp senses, Link could not prepare himself for the blindingly fast fireball that hit his left side, knocking him off Epona and into Shade's body. Both Epona and Shade reared in fear and surprise, and they began to run around wildly like panicked prey. Everyone was thrown off the horses save for Delano, who held onto Shade's saddle, yelling words that Link couldn't understand through all the action to calm the horses down. Even with Delano's gift with animals, neither horse shown any sign of relaxing. With a final buck, Shade forced his rider off the saddle, and the two horses took off together, screaming.

"No," Link gritted his teeth, knowing now that they could not flee from whomever or whatever had conjured the fireball without their horses. He twisted around to observe everyone around him, wincing in pain when his burned skin moved. "How is everyone?"

Half-hearted replies told him that no one was truly injured, save for him with that burn on his side. He saw his sword lying on the ground a few yards away, having flown from his hand during his fall. Luckily, it hadn't pierced anyone through as it escaped his grasp. But the luck ended there. It pained him to reach for it, but while he extended his arm to allow his hand to grab it, a leather boot stepped on the flat of the blade so that he couldn't lift it.

"Why, hello there…" the owner of the boot greeted him in a singsong voice.

Knowing that voice from the disastrous wedding, Link rolled away from the voice into a standing position, backing away. He watched as the boot kicked the sword up and a teal-coloured hand snatched it out of the air. "Veran," he said.

He heard the footsteps of the others join him at his side. Looking to his left and right and seeing only Delano, Zelda, and Hans, real fear welled up within him as he realized they still had not found Sheik nor Ilia. Without those two, a Dark Interloper could easily overwhelm them.

She stepped out of the dark with a wry smile on her face. "How'd you know it was me?" she said innocently. She observed the sword in her hand with disgust, pressing the sharp of the blade against her palm. It did not even leave a mark on her skin. "I am dissatisfied. Such an unworthy weapon for a beauty like me, but perhaps alright for a flawed, unfinished child like you. You can have it back, for all I care." With a violent motion that seemed blurred to Link's eyes, she threw the sword at the tree standing not an arm's length away from him. It buried itself in the trunk, quivering with the force that Veran had hurled it with.

Link silently stared at his sword, and then looked back at her. "What do you want?"

A laugh let itself out of Veran's throat. "You don't know how many times I've heard that," she whispered, her voice sounding slithery as a snake. A shiver crawled up Link's spine as she continued in the same tone, "And every time I've heard that, the people who say it always know the answer, no matter how stupid they are. So, Link, O Hero of Hyrule, you know _exactly_ what I want. You're far from stupid, aren't you?" She snapped her fingers loudly, and the air in the forest immediately changed from peaceful to dangerous.

With a jolt of fear, he felt the branches around them rustling as the leaves on them moved. Zelda let out a shriek of fright as they wound around her legs, slowly crawling up her body to imprison her in a trap of vines and branches. Link let out a grunt himself as the same happened to him. He tried to break them to escape, but they only gripped him tighter and he felt pricks of pain wherever he was encased in the branches, feeling like thousands of needles piercing through his skin all at once. After this, the branches only crept around him at a quickened pace. The branches felt sharp as they trapped him, and they drew plenty of blood from his skin as they crept around their bodies. Yells of pain followed his own as Delano and Hans attempted to break free as well.

"Don't struggle," Veran warned, "or they'll wrap you faster. As a bonus, they also grow thorns just for the right amount of pain. And, I know there is a magic user among you, so whoever you are, don't attempt to use it. This trap has been thought out well. Your attempts to escape will only hurt you."

"You witch," Delano cursed her.

"Yes, I am a witch," she replied with delight, making Delano only angrier.

Link fervently prayed that Delano wouldn't reveal his magic just yet, and he turned around to look at his sword still buried deep inside the tree trunk, the hilt only a few feet away. He steeled himself for what he was about to do, waiting for Veran to look away, so that only her peripheral vision could see Link. And when she turned away from him, Link gathered all the willpower he could find within himself, took a deep breath, and lunged for his sword.

His whole body screamed in pain, the thorns slashing his flesh mercilessly as he moved, and he felt warm blood trickling out of the wounds. He felt light-headed from the pain, but he had managed to grasp the hilt of his sword. If he had been forced to pull out the blade himself, he wouldn't have made it before Veran realized, but thanks to Veran's design of the vines, they pulled him back to where he had been before he lunged. As they pulled him backwards, Link's grip on the hilt stayed strong, and the vines helped him ease the blade out of the trunk easily.

Veran shrieked as she finally understood what was happening. Link expected the vines to suffocate him to death as he thrust his sword at them, but instead of trapping him more tightly, the branches that came in contact with his sword cracked in protest and fell uselessly to the ground, the thorns disappearing from the branches. He had no time to wonder why they were so easily cut through, if they were designed to reflect attempts to escape. Viciously cutting the branches away from his bloodied skin, he leapt to Delano faster than he could even imagine himself moving, and his sword ripped through the vines that encircled him. "Use your magic, now!" Link said urgently.

Delano didn't even bother to ask how Link knew of his magical abilities. He outstretched his hand as though punching someone in Veran's direction, and as he did, a black lightning bolt seemed to leap out of his hand like a continuation of his punch. The Sorceress of Shadows made a swiping motion in the air, and an invisible force brushed the bolt away in the direction that her arm moved. As she did this, she unleashed a fireball from her other hand, sidestepping through the trees to avoid Delano's lightning bolts.

"She's fast," was all Delano said as he struggled to both evade and send attacks flying at her. Then he said at Link desperately, not even looking at him, "What are you waiting for? Help them!" He leapt away from Link to get a better angle to shoot another bolt at her, as she hid behind a tree.

Link suddenly realized that the others' lungs were being crushed as Veran worked her magic on the branches, trying to kill them if she couldn't capture them. With frantic slashes of his sword, he prevented the others from asphyxiation. Hans looked like he was about to fall over, but Zelda looked ready to fight as she unsheathed the sword she had showed Link in the Throne Room that day.

He faltered, his mind flashing back. Had that really happened within the last month? It felt like years ago that he had almost destroyed the fate of Ordon Village. But now, with Ganondorf on the horizon, it might as well be destroyed now.

_No_, Link thought furiously, rejecting the notion. _Never. It is never over. Never!_

The thought gave him the resolve to turn to Veran, sword raised. But he realized that Delano was lying on the ground, sprawled with his arms and legs awkwardly placed out, eyes closed.

"No!" Link yelled, leaping forward to reach him. Zelda ran after him, her cloak billowing behind her as she followed.

Veran, however, had different plans. "No indeed," she said as she stepped out from the shadows of the trees to his left, snapping her fingers. A force field appeared right in Link's path, and he failed to slow down before he crashed right into it. The impact jarred him so badly that he had to take a few moments to reorient himself. Zelda pulled him up, an unspoken truce temporarily put up between them. Veran smiled again. "The Princess and a commoner Hero together. Star-crossed lovers put together by the hands of Ganondorf's reign. How adorable."

It was all Link could do to not spit a retort as he and Zelda stood opposite the Sorceress of Shadows, no more than seven strides apart.

"Anyway, both of you are doomed. Your fate is to die to sacrifice your Triforce parts to King Ganondorf. It's the least you can do, since you two lovebirds had a chance to be with each other because of him," Veran went on, obviously enjoying the green colour on Link's face, and the red on Zelda's. "I'm a magician. The Sorceress of Shadows. You're defenseless, so give up."

"It's never over," Link said, the thought giving him strength again.

"Well, you keep thinking that while you go on your knees in front of King Ganondorf on his bright, shiny throne," Veran shrugged. "Are you sure you don't want to just surrender?"

Both Link and Zelda responded by pointing their swords at their enemy.

Veran sighed, but her smile still remained. "Well, I guess I'll just have to play with you a bit before I bring you to the Lord…" Her form flickered once, twice, and the third time transformed her into a ghostly figure, white and translucent. With a cackle, Veran's ghost twisted through the air, plunging straight into Delano's body. A flash of light, and then Delano began to have a seizure as Veran's ghosts took over his body.

"No!" Link shouted once more, backing away and pulling Zelda with him. Both the Hero and the Princess trembled to watch helplessly as Delano's body writhed with pain, convulsing until Delano's will suddenly seemed to perish, and his body turned from his pale skin to the teal of Veran's. He stood from the ground on unsteady legs, but he gradually became more and more stable. His hand extended in their direction. Link staggered backwards, pulling Zelda along with him but all the time thinking, _We're dead, we're dead, we're dead _as they stumbled over whatever was in their path of escape. A bright ball of magic sprung from Delano's hand, making its way to them. There was not enough time to avoid the impact…

But the impact never struck Link or Zelda. He watched with wide eyes as Hans leapt from seemingly nowhere and in front of Link and Zelda. Hans was facing them, standing between them and the oncoming blast. "No!" Link screamed, his arms signalling for Hans to get out, run away, whatever it took to get to safety. Hans did not move. Link could only see Hans's wild eyes for that fleeting moment, showing a surprising lack of fear.

The moment ended, and the magic exploded upon contact with the young soldier's back, and when it was clear enough to see through the smoke… Hans was nowhere in sight. Link felt blood – Hans's blood – on his face, and an empty feeling in his chest with the realization that Hans was, unbelievably, dead. Veran's will wrenched Delano's lips into a cruel smile, and then she forced Delano to hurl an icy blue ball of magic.

Link shoved Zelda into bushes to their right, uncaring for the moment that she fell into the bushes face-first, flailing to get free. She was safe, for now. But now, Link was taking the blow instead of her. As his body registered the icy cold, it took him a moment to realize he was flying through the air, and suddenly he felt something rough crashing into his back, realizing a moment later that he had crashed into a tree trunk. He was vaguely aware that Delano's head loomed above him, imposing and frightening in his dazed state. He groped around, searching for the familiar hilt of his sword, only to feel the dirt on the ground around him. His sword was no longer there to aid him. "No," Link murmured weakly.

"Link!" he heard someone call with panic, accompanied by a horse's footfalls. He wondered for a second who it could have been, since it wasn't Zelda's voice and she would certainly never call him by name. And there was no way Zelda could have found a horse in these moments. But his thoughts all vanished as Delano's boot took a sharp kick at his side, making him roll over with the force. He heard Veran's laugh sound through Delano's mouth, and he stared at Delano's teal face, thinking just about how wrong the whole thing was.

Uncomprehending of what was happening to him, Link only felt something searing his arm painfully. He yelled out with surprise rather than actual pain, but he was only aware of the throbbing of his shoulder, the warm blood making his new clothes crimson, the chills he felt where the first blast had hit him, the overwhelming ache of his chest. He struggled to stay conscious, and his eyes widened as Delano's fist, engulfed in flames, pulled back, aiming for his face. Things were happening too fast for Link's brain…

Instead of being struck, Link heard a beautiful chime in the air, and a flash of light temporarily blinded him. But in those moments when his eyes were rendered useless, he heard the collision of something giant coming in contact with Delano's back, and Delano's body ended up toppling right on top of Link. He screamed in pain as Delano's weight only added to his injuries, and he gasped for air like a fish out of the water, rolling around in the dirt and the pool of his own blood to get Delano off of him. Then he twisted around, even that motion causing mind-rending pain, to see Veran in her normal form, screaming and fleeing through the woods.

Blackness replaced his vision as footsteps neared his flailing body.

* * *

"Link…?" a voice whispered, close to his ear.

He sat up as if shot out of a cannon, and then cried out in agony when his body screamed in protest. "Easy, easy," Ilia said softly, helping him lay back down carefully. "You're safe now. No need to be edgy. You're in no condition to be moving that fast. Don't talk too loudly; everyone else is asleep. I couldn't, of course, not when you were like this, so I tried to get you to wake up. You might die in your sleep… You're so injured. I have no idea how to patch up wounds, and I can't ask Zelda for aid, so…"

"What…" Link's lips were dry and cracked, and his voice was hoarse. He hadn't even comprehended all of the words Ilia was saying to him. "What happened? Are you alright? And Sheik?" He looked around at his surroundings without moving his body, just slowly turning his head around, to find that they were by a tiny stream in a grassy area clear of trees. The moon shone brightly high above them, the pearly glow softly illuminating the land below, but to Link its beauty just seemed wrong after what had just happened to them.

"Sheik and I are fine. But let me tell you what had happened to Sheik and me," Ilia murmured. Link nodded for her to go on. "Storm was already anxious when we entered the woods. And when we went ahead to scout, tree branches, vines, even stray twigs suddenly started to gather at Storm's legs. He was trying to escape, but I'm sure you know what happens when you struggle…"

"The thorns," Link said hollowly.

"Yes. But they didn't wrap Storm's whole body. Just his legs, so we couldn't escape. Eventually we were thrown off Storm because he was so scared and in so much pain. That poor horse… Anyway, when our feet landed on the ground, we were trapped too. We didn't realize it was Veran who was doing this; she never even showed herself to us. Sheik told me, 'Just wait it out.' And we did, and eventually the vines and everything fell away. I think it's because she was too busy fighting you guys… So when Storm was freed too, Sheik calmed him down and we rode through the woods, knowing you were all in danger. And Veran was already possessing Delano when we came… When the fight was over, we grabbed all of you, retrieved your weapons, and lugged you around the area, searching for somewhere safe – or, relatively safe – to stay. Veran seemed to have fled for good. Or, for the time being." Then she looked at him again. "I know I shouldn't ask you to talk, but we need to have the story told. What happened? How much do you remember?"

His mind searched back through the flashes of his poor memory. He had been in so much pain… "I remember pain," he said quietly. "A lot of pain. And it's here with me now, too." He stopped for a moment as Ilia poured water down his throat. Gulping it gratefully, he whispered, "Thank you. And I… She had trapped us in vines, but I managed to cut through them. I freed Delano first, and he used his magic to fight her while I freed the others. But he lost, and Delano had been possessed by Veran. I pushed Zelda out of the way, so that's why she's probably in better conditions than I am."

A nod was all Ilia responded with, her eyes unspeakably sad. Link knew she wanted him to continue. "Veran was making Delano destroy me, basically. And Delano was about to punch me right in the face. But… a flash of light blinded me, and then Delano just fell on top of me. I saw Veran fleeing from us, like she was actually scared of us." He finished with those words, but he could not shake the feeling that he was missing something. Something very, very important. But it wouldn't come to his mind, so he asked, "Do you know what had happened to make Veran flee?"

Her emerald eyes weren't looking at him. Reaching up and taking her hand in his, he waited until she looked him in the eye. "What happened, Ilia?"

"Zelda…" she said hesitantly, looking away for a moment, only to return again. "She used magic. We came just as she used it. She wields light magic, Link. Sheik and I, we both saw."

Link could only blink in surprise. "I never imagined that she was a magician," he said slowly.

"Neither did I," Ilia said. "I guess everyone's keeping their magic secret, hey?"

"Maybe she hadn't known."

"Maybe. We'll just have to ask her when she wakes up. And that would probably explain why she had collapsed right after shooting that light magic at Delano's back."

"She had collapsed?"

She nodded in response. "You three had all fainted before we could talk to you."

"Three?" Link said in confusion. Ilia immediately looked apologetic, sorrowful, and pained all in the same facial expression, and Link didn't understand.

Then it struck him again.

"Hans…" His stomach lurched, the water he had just swallowed threatening to come up again. "Oh, Goddesses. Hans…"

Ilia looked at the waterskin she was still holding, her expression blank. "Yes… He's gone. We found his… remains… after we found you."

"At least he died for Hyrule, just like he had always wanted…" Swallowing the lump in his throat, he closed his eyes, his face looking weary and pained to Ilia.

Too much had happened in the course of two hours too quickly. With the absence of Hans and the nagging question of Zelda' magic, Link never wanted to open his eyes again.

* * *

Ganondorf, sitting on his 'bright, shiny throne', was angry. Angry indeed.

"My Lord," Zant had said approximately twenty-seven minutes ago, "Veran has fled from the Hero and the Princess."

And now, there the Sorceress of Shadows was before him. How dare she come back here without anything to show for? How dare she flee from those harmless pests and show her face again after such shame? Her face was milky white, contrary to her usual teal-coloured skin, and her eyes had a dead look to them as they stared at the ground before her, but it earned her no pity or mercy at all from the furious King. She looked so defeated and weak and helpless and useless. And, Ganondorf knew, she had proved herself to be all of those things in the last hour.

"Sorceress of Shadows? I might as well rename you the Sorceress of Shame and Stupidity!" Ganondorf spoke through his clenched teeth. He was angry all right, and he was about to show it. He had already been disconcerted when his pet Vaati failed, but when his competent second-in-command followed Vaati's footsteps, it was sure to set him off. He was infuriated with her. Fuming, even.

"My Lord, I know I have failed you," she said quietly, still locked eyes with the floor.

"Yes, you _have!_" Ganondorf barked at her, standing from his throne. In one second, he was right in front of her, and in the next, Veran felt a stinging pain on her pale cheek as he slapped her face with the back of his hand. She stayed still and unmoving, daring not step away, as he slapped her again, this time with his palm. Retaliation was so beyond the question she didn't even consider about it.

"How, Veran? How? You know eleven magics! _Eleven!_ That Commander perhaps knows _three _at most! You even triggered _Zelda's_ magic!" His voice was so loud that Veran wondered if it was actually thunder that spoke to her. "And _that_ is the deadliest thing you've done tonight. Even your skin whitened at the potency of her light magic, after all! The best you did today was demonstrate how utterly _foolish _you are!"

"I… I killed the soldier, my Lord."

"Oh, bravo with that. Bravo, I say!" The Gerudo gripped the sides of her face, and flames erupted in his hands, causing her to cry out with pain as he slowly burned the sides of her face, slowly deforming her beauty until it disappeared. Again, she fought the overwhelming urge to flee through her agony, but she knew that if she were to run, he would surely kill her. "Zelda will begin to explore her magic now, and the worst of it is that the magic you've unlocked is _light magic!_ The one that is the _most powerful against us!_" The flame died away from within his hands, but the pain returned as he slapped her again and again.

"My Lord, I will –"

"What will you do, Veran? What? What could _possibly _rectify what you have done?"

Veran clenched her teeth, thinking furiously, but the throbbing in her cheeks made it so hard to think. "I…"

"Foolish woman. You're a waste of my time," Ganondorf spat in her face, slapping her face so hard she was knocked onto the floor. She tasted blood on her lip, sharp and metallic, and she raised herself from the ground with unsteady arms, still weak with the attack Zelda had used against her. Such power, for the first time the Princess had used it. He continued, "But since our deal as Lord and Interloper withholds me from dismissing you from service, I will keep you. But you're not to mess around with the other Triforce bearers until the time comes. Understood?"

A nod was the only response as she stood from the floor wearily, face-to-face with her master.

"Good. But, since you must understand the weight of your mistakes… the terrible, undoable weight… you shall be punished."

Her heart dropped to her stomach, and she felt nauseous with anticipation. Not many people had that effect on her. Again, she could only nod to his words. Then again, did she really believe that the Dark Lord would let her go with only her face slapped and burned? She closed her eyes, deciding it would be better not to see what he would do to her.

"And as with each of the Dark Interlopers," she heard him say, "you will be punished with the Blade of Penalty. This sword will pierce you twice, as you have failed me twice now."

The Sorceress couldn't help but think that his first statement was false. Not all of the Interlopers had been punished with that sword; Vaati had never felt that insanely sharp metal on that sword splitting his skin open. She had to hand it to Vaati, of course; it was so clever of him to have become the Dark Lord's favourite. But she herself had only felt the Blade of Penalty once before, when she and Vaati had let that damned Sage of Light, Ni-Khah, escape from them when they had destroyed Old Kakariko.

Of course, even though Vaati was partially to blame for that, Ganondorf punished only her.

She opened her eyes a crack just to watch as the sword used to punish them materialized out of the air, falling lightly into Ganondorf's hand. Like always, that one blade had the look of a simple, one-handed sword, but Veran knew that it had been used so many times to inflict horrible pain upon those who made mistakes under Ganondorf's rule.

She shut her eyes tightly, waiting.

Ganondorf held the hilt of the blade with both hands, drew it back, and drove it straight through her chest, just above her left breast.

Veran gasped loudly, her eyes involuntarily fluttering open with the shock of the pain, and the sight of the sword protruding through her body made her scream with whatever breath she had left in her lungs. Just like last time she had been punished.

Ganondorf watched her grimly with satisfaction, having perfectly aimed so that the sword would cut at her heart, but the cut was slight enough to not kill her just yet. He pressed the sword deeper and deeper through her chest until he heard the sickening _crack_ that meant the sword was jutting out of the other side. He had probably failed to push the sword through her spine as he had planned, but it didn't worry him. To inflict pain was the goal here. Red blood, another strange colour associated with Veran, dripped down her chest silently.

She was still screaming bloody murder as Ganondorf paused a moment, letting the pain truly drive her to insanity. Then, the moment passed, and the King twisted the sword in a full circle in one quick motion of his wrist, with it still inside her body, causing Veran's scream to intensify. Another pause. As Ganondorf pulled the Blade of Penalty out of her body with a merciless jerk of his arm, the horrible sound she was making suddenly ceased. The hole through her chest was letting out so much blood that her dress now looked it had been made with red material. She looked unrecognizable in her state: her face burnt badly, a gaping hole in her chest, her lower body stained crimson.

Cleaning the sword off with magic as her blood fell like a waterfall, Ganondorf snapped his fingers. In an instant, Majora appeared at his side with a grunt. Ganondorf grabbed Veran's arm before her legs gave out so that she would not fall. The monster who had appeared watched Veran with the same blank expression of its mask.

"Heal her, both her body and her face, and then bring her back to me. She needs to be punished once more," Ganondorf said, thinking with relish about how he could stab her again. Perhaps he would run her neck through, or perhaps drive the sword right into her eye and out of the back of her head. Either way, Majora could patch her up. The mysterious masked monster had an odd skill with healing magic, and it had quickly become the main healer of the group of terrorists. Majora grunted affirmation in response to his request. "You and Veran do have your quarrels, but I expect you heal her as perfectly as you would one of your friends, like Twinrova. If you do not revive her, Majora… you will be punished with the same sword."

Another grunt. Then, with a blink of those frightening, wide eyes on the mask that covered Majora's face, both he and Veran were gone from the Throne Room.

Ganondorf turned to his throne again, sitting upon it. He couldn't help but feel that satisfaction that he had after a kill. Though Veran's failure at the Triforce bearers' capture did not affect the inevitable fate of Link and Zelda at all, Ganondorf had to act like it did. Though he could blame Veran for activating Zelda's magic.

After all, if he wanted to have the resistors bow before his might, he could so easily. He just couldn't muster the energy to chase them himself at the moment, for the Hero and Princess were not to be underestimated; he was still slowly recharging from that battle with the Hero of Time so many years ago... His fist nearly crushed the hand-rest of his throne as he thought of the first Link, the ancestor of the contemporary. He couldn't blame himself for his weakness, though; his Interlopers had just freed him from the Sacred Realm, so his powers were nearly decrepit compared to his former glory.

His Interlopers, given that they all combined forces, could even overthrow Ganondorf.

But somehow, Ganondorf trusted them. Vaati enjoyed the glory of being his favourite, Majora would be solitary without the Interlopers, Dark Link wouldn't _exist _without Ganondorf, and oh, Twinrova. She was so attached to him that he knew his surrogate mother would side with him. Without Twinrova, he would not be what he was.

But there was nothing to be done about it. Ganondorf knew that Link had found Ni-Khah, the Sage of Light, and even his own identity as Hero. However, still plenty of time remained to catch them. He could only send his pets after them, desperately hoping one of them would be successful in bringing them back. Ganondorf didn't like to admit desperation, but it was with him now.

While he hadn't exactly killed Veran, as far as he knew, he felt much better knowing that this had reminded his underlings that he was not to be taken lightly.

* * *

**So there you go. An intense, gory chapter, just how I like it. I hope that last scene let you have a better idea of the relationship of Ganondorf and the Dark Interlopers, since it might seem they're just a simple bunch of villains. Because they're not. I hope you got that from that scene.**

**Please do give me some feedback concerning the action of all the scenes, since I feel that they're highly unpolished and am insecure about it. Critique will be greatly appreciated. :D**


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